‘This is his moment’ ... Wane insists Abdull deserves England chance
KR HALF-BACK WILL MAKE HIS TEST DEBUT ON SATURDAY
SHAUN Wane has told Jordan Abdull he has the opportunity to follow some of his England teammates and convince him he deserves a permanent place in his plans ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Abdull will make his Test debut on Saturday against France in Perpignan.
With the likes of Gareth Widdop and George Williams unavailable for various reasons this weekend, Abdull’s impressive form with Hull Kingston Rovers in 2021 has been rewarded with a starting place in the halves alongside Jonny Lomax.
But Wane has stressed that it is by no means a one-off if Abdull performs well, and has pointed to the example of Reece Lyne, who has kept Harry Newman out of Saturday’s side, as an inspiration for Abdull to follow, telling the halfback ‘this is his moment’ to catch the eye.
“This is his chance,” Wane said. “He knows how many halfbacks we’ve got, but he also knows how many of them are injured and that this is his moment and his chance.
“He needs to look at Reece Lyne. If you want to play in the World Cup, then be at your best for Hull KR next year and he’s definitely got a chance.”
When asked what prompted him to call Abdull into the national squad for the first time, Wane said: “He can definitely kick.
“He can play straight, he’s got a great boot on him with a lovely kick.
“I feel like he’s earned this chance, too. He’s been in a team that aren’t one of the biggest or flashiest in Super League, but he has always turned up and done a good job. I wanted to reward him.”
Wane also admitted he has been impressed with the credentials Abdull has brought to the England group since being called up.
He said: “I haven’t had too many long, out-of-hand kickers with the ball during my time at Wigan.
“Seeing him in practice, he was kicking balls that were making loads of metres and that’s good for me as a coach.
“Then there are the ones that go high up in the air, they’re tough. I wouldn’t like to be under those trying to catch them. It’s good to have for me as a coach, I’m looking forward to coaching him.”