England bolters: The names putting their hand up despite not being in performance squad with Umyla Hanley, Tom Holroyd included
England will head to the Rugby League World Cup in Australia in October; Brian McDermott will be tasked with choosing a squad to go; 38-man performance squad was announced in June
Friday 14 August 2026 14:40, UK
We are just two months out from the Rugby League World Cup and with that in mind, every Super League player will have a place on the plane to Australia in the back of their mind.
Back in June, new England head coach Brian McDermott announced a 38-man performance squad, including 10 uncapped players, with whom he would work over the season to get England as well prepared as they can be for the tournament come October.
Leeds Rhinos star and reigning Man of Steel Jake Connor has not played for his country in seven years and was overlooked by then England coach Shaun Wane for the 3-0 Ashes defeat at home to Australia last autumn. But now, he is back.
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The 10 newbies include Wakefield Trinity's Jake Trueman and Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Wigan Warriors' Sam Walters and Zach Eckersley, Hull KR's Dean Hadley and St Helens' Harry Robertson.
But is all hope lost for those not in those 38 names? Could some players make a late surge?
Let's take a look at who has been playing their way into potentially being a late bolter for England...
Tom Holroyd
Age: 25
Club: Leeds Rhinos
Position: Prop
International caps: 1
Tom Holroyd has hit incredible form in the middle-to-late stages of this season and has become the definition of super-sub.
His physicality and impact has been clear for all to see and indeed, even his head coach Brad Arthur believes he has to be considered for a place on the plane if England want a point of difference. Arthur also touted Cameron Smith for a place too.
"I think Cameron (Smith) and Tom are showing off the bench that they could provide a really good option for that team," Arthur said.
"Tom, with his impact and his aggression, and Cameron - he comes on, and he can just change the point of attack with his footwork, his pass, and his offload.
"And I just think if you're going to try and beat Australia, you're not going to be able to defend your way to victory; you're going to need to be able to score points and both of those guys can help with that."
England have a lot of options in the middle but you would not be shocked if Holroyd is on the radar now too.
Umyla Hanley
Age: 24
Club: Leigh Leopards
Position: Centre
International caps: 0
Since returning from injury, Umyla Hanley has really been impressing for Leigh Leopards, especially in attack.
Indeed, he was included in the Man of Steel panels considerations for the middle part of the season then was key in Leigh's massive win over Leeds in round 23.
Similarly to Arthur with Holroyd, Leigh head coach Adrian Lam has gone into bat for his man and believes that he has a big international future ahead of him.
"That tackle that he made at the end of the game on Ryan Hall to get his foot across the line- if anyone had said to me, 'someone's going to save you a try at the end of the game' - I would have said it was him, and all of his team-mates would have said it was him," Lam said.
"He's the ultimate competitor I've coached. No, he's the number one player I've coached in my life that competes better than anyone, and I challenge that to anyone in Super League."
Oliver Partington
Age: 27
Club: Wigan Warriors
Position: Back row
International caps: 0
Speak to any Wigan fan and they will tell you how integral Oliver Partington has been in their 2026 Super League campaign.
A work horse, he does all the hard yards that make someone the ultimate team-mate and he is willing to put his hand up for anything.
They say that what matters in big games are not the sparkling moments but the effort areas and Partington excels in those every single time.
While he will have a lot of competition in his position, he is someone who has been a standout in 2026.
Matty Nicholson
Age: 23
Club: Canberra Raiders
Position: Back row
International caps: 2
Yes, he is not in Super League but it would be remiss of me to overlook Matty Nicholson.
He has returned for the last couple of games off the bench for the Raiders and if he finds a run of form, he will be someone very much in McDermott's thinking.
The new England boss has said he will firmly have eyes on the NRL as well as Super League and with that in mind, Nicholson has a real chance to get back into the international scene.
England 38-man performance programme group:
Junior Nsemba, Ethan Havard, Luke Thompson, Sam Walters, Brad O'Neill, Jake Wardle, Harry Smith, Zach Eckersley (all Wigan Warriors), Kallum Watkins, Mikolaj Oledzki, Ash Handley, Jake Connor (all Leeds Rhinos), Ben Currie, Danny Walker, George Williams, Matty Ashton (all Warrington Wolves), Kai Pearce-Paul (Wests Tigers), Dean Hadley, Jez Litten, Mikey Lewis (all Hull KR), Morgan Smithies, Jayden Brailey (both Canberra Raiders), Victor Radley, Billy Smith (both Sydney Roosters), AJ Brimson (Gold Coast Titans), Jack Welsby, Alex Walmsley, Daryl Clark, Harry Robertson (all St Helens), Morgan Knowles, Herbie Farnworth (both Dolphins), Mike McMeeken, Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Jake Trueman, Tom Johnstone (all Wakefield), Matt King (Canterbury Bulldogs), Ben Talty (Brisbane Broncos), Dom Young (Newcastle Knights).
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