Stevie Ward forced to decline England World Cup call-up due to shoulder surgery
Tuesday 10 October 2017 16:32, UK
Stevie Ward revealed he would have been included in England's World Cup squad were it not for his shoulder injury.
The Leeds forward made a miraculous recovery from a dislocated shoulder to play in Saturday's Betfred Super League Grand Final win over Castleford Tigers, but requires an operation which will rule him out of the World Cup.
Wales coach John Kear had hoped to select Ward but the 23-year-old said he was also in the reckoning for England.
"I did quite a lot of damage dislocating my shoulder," Ward told Sky Sports News. "I've got some good movement but long-term it needs sorting out.
"I would have been in the England side had it not been for the operation I'm going to have on Wednesday morning.
"For me it's about resting up this off-season, doing some rehab which I'm all too familiar with. It's one of those things.
"Going forward I'm not going to participate in the World Cup with England or Wales, and just look at next year.
"It's disappointing for me to not participate. It's something I had as a goal this year after doing something special like winning the Grand Final, but it's important for me to rest up and go again next year."
Ward was tipped by the retiring Rob Burrow to succeed Danny McGuire as Leeds captain but he says there are plenty of contenders for head coach Brian McDermott to consider.
"It's something I've thought about for a good while," said Ward about the Rhinos captaincy.
"I've been at Leeds since I was 12, I always wanted to work my way up in the team, and I always thought it would be nice to be captain. For Rob to say that is brilliant, he's one of my best mates.
"Brian McDermott has got a tough decision on his hands. There are people like Jamie Jones-Buchanan who has been around here for many years and won eight Grand Finals, Brad Singleton is becoming a prominent leader and there are some young guys staking their claim.
"For me to be involved in games like that on Saturday, to share the experience with my team-mates and do something special, that's massive for me. I'll take anything else as it comes."
