Connor Left Out of England World Cup Squad Again — SkimNews
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- Jake Connor, last year's Man of Steel and Super League's leading assist creator with 43, was omitted from Brian McDermott's 23-player England squad for the Rugby League World Cup held across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in October and November
- Connor was previously snubbed by Shaun Wane for last autumn's home Ashes series against Australia, which England lost 3-0
- McDermott publicly defended Connor in April, calling the narrative around him 'tremendously unfair' and labelling him 'a game-breaker' and 'a tremendous player,' yet still left him out
- Hull KR fullback Mikey Lewis is expected to be selected ahead of Connor when McDermott's full squad is announced on Monday
- England open their World Cup campaign on October 17 against Tonga in Perth, with group games against France and Papua New Guinea to follow
- England, runners-up in 1975, 1995 and 2017, reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2021 before being beaten by Samoa
Why it matters: The omission means the reigning Man of Steel — statistically Super League's best playmaker — misses a second consecutive England tournament despite his own coach calling the criticism of him unfair. McDermott, a former Leeds head coach who knows Connor well, is betting on Mikey Lewis at fullback over the 31-year-old, with England opening their campaign against Tonga on October 17.
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