Brian McDermott, the England head coach, has justified his surprise decision to omit Jake Connor from England’s Rugby League World Cup squad by insisting the players selected are better suited to his plans to defeat the world’s best.
For the second consecutive year, Leeds Rhinos half-back Connor is the major talking point in a squad that has no players from the new Super League champions, Wakefield. He was left out by Shaun Wane for last autumn’s Ashes despite winning Super League’s Man of Steel award. England lost that series 3-0 after a string of limited attacking displays.
