England stick with same 19 for France after Tonga defeat
England coach Brian McDermott has kept faith with the same 19 players for Saturday's Rugby League World Cup meeting with France.
It follows a difficult start to the tournament. England lost 30-12 to Tonga in their opener in Perth, according to BBC Sport.
The France game is also in Perth. Kick-off is at 07:35 BST on Saturday 24 October.
McDermott has named an unchanged 19-man squad for that second group match. No fresh faces. No one dropped.
AJ Brimson keeps the full-back shirt. The full-back is the last line of defence, fielding kicks and launching counter-attacks. Jack Welsby is again listed among the interchanges, rugby league's rolling substitutes who can come on and off through the game.
The starting XIII is Brimson, Dom Young, Hugo Savala, Herbie Farnworth, Zach Eckersley, George Williams, Harry Smith, Max King, Brad O'Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul and Victor Radley.
On the interchange bench are Jez Litten, Ben Currie, Ethan Havard, Sam Walters, Welsby and Matty Ashton. Kallum Watkins, Mikey Lewis and Ben Talty are listed as reserves, outside the matchday 17 but still in camp.
For fans, this means a clear message from the coach. The response has to come from within the same group that faced Tonga.
France now stand between England and a lift before the tournament moves on. The basics will matter: completing sets, winning field position and holding firm in contact.
