England leave Man of Steel Jake Connor out of World Cup squad
England head coach Brian McDermott has left Jake Connor out of his squad for the Rugby League World Cup.
The 31-year-old Leeds Rhinos half-back, one of the team's main playmakers who shapes attacks with pass and kick, has just won Super League's Man of Steel award as the competition's player of the year. He will still not travel to the tournament in Australia, McDermott confirmed when naming his 23-player group, as reported by The Guardian.
That is a bold call. Connor had not played for England for seven years before McDermott recalled him in his first squad in charge, according to BBC Sport. He was also overlooked last autumn by former coach Shaun Wane for the Ashes series, which England lost 3-0 to Australia.
McDermott has chosen Hull KR half-back Mikey Lewis ahead of Connor. He said Connor missed out by a small margin and the decision came down to who he trusts to best stick to the gameplan.
England need something different, McDermott said. He told reporters his side cannot do the usual things against the best teams and have got to play with a point of difference.
There is no place in the squad for any player from Wakefield, the newly crowned Super League champions. McDermott said Tom Johnstone, Jake Trueman, Mike McMeeken and Caleb Hamlin-Uele were all unavailable to be considered because they need post-season surgeries.
England are also short at centre, where one of the three-quarter positions outside the halves, after Leeds Rhinos' Ash Handley and Wigan's Jake Wardle were ruled out of contention.
For supporters, the selection underlines how much McDermott wants control and structure for a World Cup campaign. Lewis and the Wigan pair of Harry Smith and Jack Welsby now carry the creative load, with George Williams the senior organiser.
The squad leans heavily on talent from Australia's NRL, the southern hemisphere's elite club competition. Ten of the 23 are based in Australia, including Brisbane Broncos forward Ben Talty and Sydney Roosters utility Hugo Savala, who can cover several backline and loose roles.
Huddersfield-born Max King is the new face after strong form for Canterbury Bulldogs. The 23 is Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Ben Currie, Zach Eckersley, Herbie Farnworth, Ethan Havard, Max King, Morgan Knowles, Mikey Lewis, Jez Litten, Junior Nsemba, Brad O'Neill, Kai Pearce-Paul, Victor Radley, Hugo Savala, Harry Smith, Morgan Smithies, Luke Thompson, Sam Walters, Ben Talty, Jack Welsby, George Williams and Dom Young, as listed by Sky Sports.
England open the World Cup against Tonga in Perth on 17 October.
