Jamie Peacock has defended England’s policy towards heritage players after Wayne Bennett, the head coach, selected two Australian‑born players in his squad to face Samoa on Saturday week.
Bennett’s 20-man England contingent features three debutants but the inclusion of Chris McQueen is the most noteworthy of the trio. The Gold Coast forward was born in Brisbane and has played State of Origin for Queensland but qualifies for the national side via his English father – the same applying for Cronulla’s Chris Heighington, who returns after a six-year absence.
The selection of both players has caused a backlash but the England team manager has defended the decision. “I think there’s a real feel at the moment against globalisation so it’s no surprise to see it come into sport, too,” Peacock told the Guardian. “But the rules are the rules, so we can play by them. We’ve not been beating Australia and New Zealand so we need to find a way to change that. If they strengthen the side, then why not?
“Everyone else seems to use heritage players and the rules are there to be used. But it’s about strengthening your squad and not diluting it with too many heritage players because, yes, you still need to have a strong English core.”
Peacock has also defended the decision to fly to Sydney mid-season to play Samoa, saying a Test against northern hemisphere opposition such as France would have been insufficient preparation for the World Cup.
“When you play for England in any other sport you get to see the world and see some different destinations but we haven’t done that,” Peacock said. “It gives us a great build into the World Cup and a flavour of what it’s like to play in a Test match of that calibre. Playing France just would not have cut it this year in the run‑up to a World Cup.”
The Salford winger Justin Carney could be banned on Tuesday night for at least eight games after being accused of racially abusing an opponent. Carney was sent off during Salford’s Challenge Cup tie against Toronto and he faces a Grade F charge – the Rugby Football League’s most severe – at an independent disciplinary tribunal.
England squad to play Samoa on 6 May Sam Burgess, Thomas Burgess (both South Sydney), Luke Gale (Castleford), James Graham (Canterbury), Ryan Hall (Leeds), Zak Hardaker (Castleford), Chris Heighington (Cronulla), Chris Hill (Warrington), Josh Hodgson (Canberra), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield), Mike McMeeken (Castleford), Chris McQueen (Gold Coast), Sean O’Loughlin (Wigan, captain), Mark Percival (St Helens), Scott Taylor (Hull), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Kallum Watkins (Leeds), Elliott Whitehead (Canberra), Gareth Widdop (St George), George Williams (Wigan).
