England name two uncapped players in 24-man World Cup squad

There is no place for Super League's leading full-back Zak Hardaker following his failed drugs test

Wayne Bennett named his squad of 24 for Australia on Monday (Getty)

Warrington second rower Ben Currie and St Helens prop Alex Walmsley are the new faces in England's 24-man squad for the World Cup.

Currie, who played for Ireland in the last World Cup in 2013, is chosen despite making just four appearances for his club this year due to injury, while Walmsley went to Sydney for England's mid-season Test against Samoa but did not play.

As expected, there is no place for Super League's leading full-back Zak Hardaker following his failed drugs test, which is expected to pave the way for Jonny Lomax to reclaim the England number one jersey.

Lomax was arguably England's best performer in the 2016 Four Nations Series, but missed the game against Samoa in Sydney through injury, when coach Wayne Bennett opted to play Warrington utility player Stefan Ratchford at full-back, with Hardaker chosen at centre.

Wigan's Sam Tomkins made a strong push for a recall after being dropped from the elite training squad during his injury-hit start to the year, but his club's failure to make the play-off semi-finals denied him one last chance to impress.

Lomax's Saints team-mate, hooker James Roby, has been recalled after a two-year absence, getting the nod ahead of Daryl Clark and Paul McShane after producing a strong finish to the season.

On the squad coach Bennett, said: "Selecting the final 24 with the help of my coaching staff was tough and that was down to the effort and performances of many players throughout the season. The competitiveness of Super League and NRL and knowing the goal of playing for your country in a World Cup has made many raise their game and become better athletes.


 Hardaker's ban saw him miss out on selection 
 (Getty Images)

“The England programme has been very active leading into this tournament and having the squad meet up on regular occasions – on and off the field – has put us in a positive place before everyone gets into camp.

“We had to put the disappointment of the Four Nations behind us quickly and the meetings that followed that tournament set out what was required to be successful in the World Cup. Everyone has fully bought into this and we can’t wait to get started.”

England's 24-man World Cup squad:

John Bateman (Wigan), Kevin Brown (Warrington), Sam Burgess (South Sydney), Thomas Burgess (South Sydney), Ben Currie (Warrington), Luke Gale (Castleford), James Graham (St George Illawarra), Ryan Hall (Leeds), Chris Heighington (Cronulla), Chris Hill (Warrington), Josh Hodgson (Canberra), Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield), Mike McMeeken (Castleford), Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan, capt), Mark Percival (St Helens), Stefan Ratchford (Warrington), James Roby (St Helens), Scott Taylor (Hull), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Kallum Watkins (Leeds), Elliott Whitehead (Canberra), Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra), George Williams (Wigan).