Seven uncapped players - Lewis Dodd, Matty Lees, Jack Welsby, Kai Pearce-Paul, Liam Marshall, Harry Newman and Jake Wardle - included in England training squad; head coach Shaun Wane will hold series of monthly sessions ahead of Rugby League World Cup on home soil in October and November
Tuesday 1 March 2022 15:38, UK
Hull KR winger Ryan Hall has been recalled to England's training squad while head coach Shaun Wane has also included seven uncapped players in a 30-man party.
Hall, 34, has scored 35 tries in 38 appearances for his country but his most recent cap came against New Zealand in Denver in 2018.
The new boys in the squad are St Helens trio Lewis Dodd, Matty Lees and Jack Welsby, Wigan's Kai Pearce-Paul and Liam Marshall, Leeds star Harry Newman and Huddersfield's Jake Wardle.
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.
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.
Wane's players will meet for a series of monthly sessions throughout 2022 - further camps are planned in in April, May, July and August - as England build towards the postponed Rugby League World Cup on home soil in October and November.
Details of June's mid-season international against Combined Nations All Stars will be announced on Friday.
On what prompted Hall's recall, Wane said: "Efforts, probably what nobody else has seen. Wigan 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, 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 added: "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.
"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."
Wane added: "It's a massive year for us, a great opportunity that we must be well prepared for.
"We've looked at a number of things in putting this training squad together - form last year, performances in the All Stars and France games, pre-season training and discussions around up and coming young players.
"The players included for this first session need to look like England players and train like England players. We want something extra from them at this level.
"The younger players coming through are a real credit to Paul Anderson and Paul Sculthorpe on the performance pathway, club coaches and junior coaches too.
"To me it doesn't matter whether you're 17 or 37, if I think you can help us win a World Cup you'll be in the squad.
"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."
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).