Shaun Wane will take great pride in singing national anthem before first game
Wane is set to take charge of England for the first time next Friday.

Shaun Wane will be proud to belt out the national anthem ahead of his first match as England coach and hints he will frown on any of his players who fail to follow his lead.
Sixteen months after he was chosen to succeed Australian Wayne Bennett as the national team coach, Wane will finally get the chance to lead his side into battle next Friday against the Combined Nations All Stars at Warrington
Wane has ignored the claims of Australia-born duo Blake Austin and Jackson Hastings, who were picked by Bennett for Great Britain, and will be expecting his players to display their patriotism at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
āI wonāt be forcing them but, if you are an Englishman and the national anthem is playing and you donāt sing, I find it quite strange because I love it,ā the 56-year-old former Wigan boss said at a press conference on Friday morning.
āIāve been waiting for this for 50-odd years because Iām a very proud Wiganer and Lancastrian and even prouder to be English.
āThe thought of standing there and singing the national anthem after having coached my national team for a week is a great feeling.ā
Next weekās game is part of Waneās preparations for the end-of-season World Cup and he says his team will be āvery closeā to his final squad.
His provisional 24-man squad does not include any of the five NRL-based players but former Wigan stand-off George Williams is in thereĀ after securing a release on compassionate grounds from his contract with Canberra Raiders.
I won't be forcing them but, if you are an Englishman and the national anthem is playing and you don't sing, I find it quite strange because I love it
Williams, who is expected to sign for Warrington, is due to arrive back in England on Friday and will have to undergo Covid-19 protocols before being cleared to join up with the squad.
Wane will also check on the fitness of the player, who has been training on his own since making his last appearance for the Raiders against Melbourne Storm on May 22,Ā before trimming his squad to 19 next week.
āIāve spoken to George every couple of days and heās in a good place,ā Wane said. āHe canāt wait to join the lads.
āWeāve got a few injuries but the team we put out on Friday will be very, very strong. It will be a lot stronger when we get the NRL players but itās up there and itās going to be a Test match next week.ā
Castleford hooker Paul McShane, the 2020 Man of Steel, is set to make his England debut at the age of 31, alongside a handful of other new caps.
Winger Ash Handley is joined by his Leeds team-mate Mikolaj Oledzki, whoĀ could make history as the first Poland-born player to play international rugby league.
There are also first call-ups for centres Toby King (Warrington) and Jake Wardle (Huddersfield), Catalans Dragons winger Tom Davies and St Helens loose forward Morgan Knowles, who has switched his allegiance from Wales.
As expected, Wakefield loose forward Joe Westerman is recalled to the England set-up after a seven-year absence but Warringtonās in-form half-back Gareth Widdop narrowly misses out and Wigan full-back Zak Hardaker is ruled out through suspension.
Wane, who says he has narrowed his list of candidates down to two to succeed Sean OāLoughlin as captain, was forced to cancel this weekās planned training sessions and delay his squad selection due to the impact of Covid-19 which led to the postponement of three Super League fixtures.
He is also having to juggle his selection with the demands of clubs who opted to play a full round of Super League fixtures on the same weekend, agreeing with St Helens for example not to select veteran hooker James Roby.
āItās disappointing but I am the eternal optimist,ā he said. āIn a perfect world it would have been a stand-alone fixture but itās not and we have to find a way to get through it and thatās what we will do,ā Wane said.
āWeāve had disruption but, looking at the big picture, what the world is going through, itās nothing really.ā
Tim Sheens is expected to announce his All Stars squad on Sunday evening.
Englandās 24-man squad: John Bateman (Wigan), Daryl Clark, Mike Cooper, Ben Currie (all Warrington), Tom Davies (Catalans), Liam Farrell (Wigan), Luke Gale, Ash Handley (both Leeds), Toby King (Warrington), Morgan Knowles (St Helens), Reece Lyne (Wakefield), Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Paul McShane (Castleford), Tommy Makinson (St Helens), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield), Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds), Joe Philbin, Stefan Ratchford (both Warrington), Dan Sarginson (Salford), Sam Tomkins (Catalans), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Jake Wardle (Huddersfield), Joe Westerman (Wakefield), George Williams (unattached).