Lewis left out of England Rugby League World Cup opener
Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 08:32 · Archive
Mikey Lewis has been left out of England's Rugby League World Cup opening match against Tonga in Perth on Saturday, despite being included in Brian McDermott's squad for the tournament. Lewis was chosen ahead of 2025 Super League Man of Steel Jake Connor for the squad, but will not feature in the first pool game. Harry Smith will instead partner captain George Williams in the half-back roles.
McDermott has made other notable selection decisions for the match. Full-back AJ Brimson, who is Brisbane-born and made his England debut in last year's Ashes series, has been chosen ahead of Jack Welsby. Several players will earn their first England caps, including NRL-based pairing Max King and Hugo Savala, and Wigan wing Zach Eckersley in the starting side.
Lewis's omission comes after an inconsistent season with Hull KR. He is listed as one of three non-playing reserves, alongside Ben Currie and Ben Talty. England face Tonga on Saturday, before taking on France on 24 October and Papua New Guinea on 30 October in Group B-C, from which the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.
How it is being reported
- Lewis left out of England’s World Cup openerMikey Lewis has been left out of England's Rugby League World Cup opening match against Tonga by head coach Brian McDermott, while Jack Welsby has only made the bench.Sky Sports · 13 Oct, 08:50
- Mikey Lewis left out of England side for Rugby League World Cup openerLewis was chosen ahead of Jake Connor in Brian McDermott’s squad for the tournamentIndependent Sport · 13 Oct, 08:17
- Lewis left out for England's Rugby League World Cup openerHarry Smith is named alongside captain George Williams in the England half-back roles for their 2026 Rugby League World Cup opening match against Tonga - with Mikey Lewis left out.BBC News · 13 Oct, 06:15
In this story: Mikey Lewis · George Williams · Harry Smith · Brian McDermott · England · Tonga · Hull KR · Perth
This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem
Comments (0)