Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing
Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news
Thanks for signing up to the
Sport email
St Helens’ Grand Final winning duo Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival have been ruled out of England’s team for the World Cup.
Lomax played under duress for much of the Super League season after suffering a ruptured bicep in April as he guided Saints to a record fourth successive Grand Final triumph.
The experienced half-back was man of the match in his team’s 24-12 win over Leeds at Old Trafford on Saturday but hinted in the post-match press conference that he may not be available for the World Cup.
Confirmation of his absence is a major blow for England but is likely to be good news for club-mate Jack Welsby, who stepped into Lomax’s shoes for the mid-season game against the Combined Nations All Stars and could now line up alongside George Williams for the opening game against Samoa.
England coach Shaun Wane will also have to ponder his centre options with Percival failing to recover sufficiently from the knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of the second half of the season.
Recommended
The double injury blow follows the loss of another centre, Harry Newman (Leeds), as well as forwards Alex Walmsley (St Helens) and Liam Farrell (Wigan).
On the plus side, Brisbane’s England-born centre Herbie Farnworth will be named in Wane’s 24-man squad when it is unveiled at a press conference in Worsley on Friday morning.
Farnworth, a naturally-gifted sportsman who was once on Manchester United’s books, began the NRL season in sensational form but has not played since June after suffering a bicep injury.
However, he never gave up hope of recovering in time for the World Cup and is set to make his debut against the Samoans at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on October 15.
His centre partner could be former Leeds favourite Kallum Watkins, who has proved to be a revelation while playing in the second row for Salford in 2022.
Register for free to continue reading
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Register for free to continue reading
Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism
By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Already have an account? sign in
By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.
Source: Read Full Article
