England coach Shaun Wane says veteran winger Ryan Hall’s experience and mindset will be invaluable in guiding the younger players after his recall to the training squad ahead of this year’s Rugby League World Cup.
At 34 years old, the former Leeds Rhinos favourite - now plying his club trade with Hull KR - is the elder statesman in Wane’s 30-strong squad for his first training session of 2022 ahead of the mid-season game against the Combined Nations All Stars.
More importantly, the delayed World Cup is only eight months away and Hall, who won the last of his 38 England caps against New Zealand in Denver in 2018 when he scored his 35th try for his country in a 36-18 victory, is joined in the squad by seven uncapped players with an average age of 22.
Asked what prompted his recall, Wane told a news conference: “Efforts, probably what nobody else has seen.
“Against Wigan he scored a length-of-the-field try and the effort he made to get there from the other side of the field was immense.
“He runs hard, he’s hard to handle and he gets us on the front foot, that’s what I want from my wingers.
“I’ve always been a big fan of the way he carries the ball into yardage. He is such a big athlete and, when we play Samoa [in the first game of the World Cup], we will need as much size as we can.
“To have someone of Ryan’s experience and mindset is invaluable for the young players.”
Hall had a disappointing stint in the NRL with Sydney Roosters after bringing his 12-year spell at Leeds to an end but is now enjoying a new lease of life with Hull KR.
“I’ve always loved playing for England and being around the England set-up, so I suppose it’s step one in my gradual return,” he said.
“I’m under no illusion, there is still a lot of hard work to do, even to keep in that squad, never mind to get a place in the actual World Cup squad.
“So there is a lot of water to go under the bridge but I’m really happy to be on the start line.”
The new faces are the St Helens trio of Lewis Dodd, Matty Lees and Jack Welsby, Wigan’s London-born second rower Kai Pearce-Paul and his team-mate Liam Marshall, Leeds centre Harry Newman and Huddersfield centre Jake Wardle.
Wane says Dodd has “all the attributes I like in a half-back” and believes Pearce-Paul will offer his squad “something different”.
“He is a good ball carrier and has a very strong offload, something different,” said Wane, who as leadership and management director at Wigan has seen the former London Bronco close up.
“As time goes by, he will become a good one-on-one defender as well and I can see him playing Test match rugby.
“If he keeps going the way he’s going it’s going to be hard not to pick him.”
No NRL-based players have been included in Wane’s squad, which will come together for the first time at Headingley on Tuesday, March 15, to begin preparations for the All Stars fixture on the weekend of June 17-19.
Wane says he will use that fixture, the details of which will be announced on Friday, to experiment with his squad.
Further training sessions will take place in April, May, July and August in the build-up to England’s warm-up match against Fiji at Rochdale on Friday, October 7, and their opening World Cup fixture in Newcastle eight days later.
Among the notable absentees are Hull’s utility-back Jake Connor and Warrington half-back Gareth Widdop, while Jordan Abdull has lost his place from the team that beat France in October.
Connor pushed his claims for a recall with a man-of-the-match performance in Hull’s win over Salford on Saturday and, according to Wane, could still make the mid-season game.
“I’ve spoken to Jake with great honesty and detail about what I want to see and, if I see that, then he’ll go into the England team,” Wane said.
“He’s a great talent, there is no doubt about that. I want to see certain things. I can possibly see him playing against the All Stars in June if he does what I need him to do.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of players and the ones not included at this stage know that they can still force their way in. It’s an open book and I see some of them coming back in later in the year.”
Full England training squad: J Bateman (Wigan), D Clark, M Cooper, B Currie (all Warrington), T Davies (Catalans), L Dodd (St Helens), N Evalds (Castleford), L Farrell (Wigan), R Hall (Hull KR), Z Hardaker (Wigan), M Knowles (St Helens), K Leeming (Leeds), M Lees, J Lomax (both St Helens), R Lyne (Wakefield), J McGillvary (Huddersfield), P McShane (Castleford), T Makinson (St Helens), L Marshall (Wigan), H Newman, M Oledzki (both Leeds), K Pearce-Paul (Wigan), M Percival (St Helens), S Ratchford (Warrington), D Sarginson (Salford), S Tomkins (Catalans), A Walmsley (St Helens), J Wardle (Huddersfield), J Welsby (St Helens), G Williams (Warrington).
