Connor recalled to England 38-man Rugby League World
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- Jake Connor was recalled to the England squad by new coach Brian McDermott after a seven-year international absence, having last played for his country in 2019 and been overlooked by predecessor Shaun Wane for last autumn's 3-0 Ashes home defeat to Australia.
- McDermott named 10 uncapped players in the 38-man performance squad, including Wigan's Zach Eckersley and Sam Walters, Wakefield's Jake Trueman and Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Hull KR's Dean Hadley, St Helens' Harry Robertson, and NRL-based Max King, Jayden Brailey, Billy Smith and Ben Talty.
- McDermott takes charge after Shaun Wane stepped down in January, with the squad set to be trimmed before the World Cup opener against Tonga on October 17 in Australia.
- England are bidding to improve on their 2021 showing when they lost the home semi-final to Samoa, having previously been World Cup runners-up in 1975, 1995 and 2017.
- McDermott said: "there is a raft of talent available at our disposal" but stressed this is "still just the first group of players we've selected" with more opportunity for others to force their way in before the final squad is named.
Why it matters: A new coach's first squad signals a reset: 10 uncapped faces in a 38-man group means a quarter of the touring party will be making their England debuts, and the recall of 2025 Man of Steel Connor — frozen out under Wane — hands McDermott an established playmaker for a World Cup opener against Tonga on October 17. Wane departed in January after the 3-0 Ashes loss, so this is the first concrete evidence of the new regime's direction.
