NEW BOYS JOHNSTONE AND LYNE READY TO PASS TEST FOR ENGLAND

WAKEFIELD duo Tom Johnstone and Reece Lyne are among five new caps in Wayne Bennett’s England squad for the autumn Test matches against France and New Zealand.

Threequarters Johnstone (right, top) and Lyne (right, below) have been joined by Wigan backrower Joe Greenwood, Castleford loose forward Adam Milner and St Helens prop Luke Thompson, who travelled to face the Kiwis in Denver in June but was not selected. South Sydney trio Sam, George and Tom Burgess are all included as part of a six-strong contingent from this year’s NRL, along with Canberra duo Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead and St George Illawarra prop James Graham.

St Helens hooker James Roby joins a list of unavailable players as he requires closeseason surgery. Gareth Widdop, Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Ben Currie and Alex Walmsley had already been ruled out of contention. England squad: Bateman (Wigan), G Burgess, S Burgess, T Burgess (all Souths), Clark (Warrington), Connor (Hull FC), Gale (Castleford), Graham (St George Illawarra), Greenwood (Wigan), Hill (Warrington), Hodgson (Canberra), Johnstone (Wakefield), Lomax (St Helens), Lyne (Wakefield), Makinson (St Helens), McGillvary (Huddersfield), Milner (Castleford), O’Loughlin (Wigan, captain), Percival (St Helens), Ratchford (Warrington), Thompson (St Helens), Tomkins (Wigan), Whitehead (Canberra), Williams (Wigan).