England’s only warm-up game for the Rugby League World Cup continues to be overshadowed by controversy after the bookmaker Betfred, an official partner of the England team, was forced to apologise for comments made by the broadcaster Eddie Hemmings about one of the players who could make their international debut against Fiji on Friday night.
In a video interview with the England coach, Shaun Wane, that was posted on social media before being deleted, Hemmings said the winger Dom Young, who also qualifies to play for Jamaica, was “not English in the strict sense of the word”. Young, who began his playing career with Huddersfield Giants before moving to the NRL in Australia, was born and raised in Wakefield. His brother Alex will represent the Reggae Warriors at the tournament.
