Hastings to wait on call for England
THE Great Britain Lions performance squad will meet up in Manchester today ahead of the Southern Hemisphere tour at the end of the season – but Jackson Hastings won’t be part of the group heading Down Under.
Although he is eligible to play for England and the Lions because his paternal grandmother was born in Plymouth, the Salford playmaker did not file the necessary paperwork in time to be selected.
Wayne Bennett included Australianborn pair Blake Austin and Lachlan Coote – who represented Scotland in the last Rugby League World Cup – in the initial performance squad.
However, because of their ongoing participation in the Betfred Super League play-offs, players from the Red Devils, St Helens and Wigan are not part of the training group meeting up at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance this morning.
The squad comprises 12 players still in the running to represent Great Britain and 16 from the England Knights performance squad.
In addition to the Lions’ tour, there is also a World Cup Nines tournament taking place on October 18 and 19 at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta.
Former Swinton Lions half-back Chris Atkin, who will be joining Salford for 2020, is in the running to represent England in the inaugural World Cup Nines.
Niall Evalds and Josh Jones were both included in the last Knights performance squad when it was revised most recently in July, before Jones was subsequently added to the Great Britain Performance Squad.
Should he make the final cut for the first Lions tour since 2006, Jones will be coached by his current club boss Ian Watson, who has been selected as an assistant to Bennett, alongside London Broncos coach Danny Ward.
Ex-Red Devils Scott Taylor and Stefan Ratchford were both selected in the initial GB performance squad but have subsequently dropped out.
The final group will be announced on Monday, October 14. Those not selected for the World Cup Nines could still represent England Knights against Jamaica at Headingley on October 20.
Meanwhile, Oldham’s League 1 Promotion Play-off Final opposition has been confirmed as Newcastle Thunder.
The final remaining spot in the Betfred Championship is at stake, with Thunder booking their place following a 34-4 victory over Doncaster at the weekend that was spearheaded by former Roughyed centre Kieran Gill.
After a productive loan spell at the Vestacare Stadium, Gill has spent the season in the north east and crossed for 28 tries, including a hat-trick in the semi-final victory over Doncaster.
Oldham enjoyed an extra weekend’s rest ahead of the promotion shootout, which will be Scott Naylor’s final match as coach after seven seasons.