There will be plenty of nervous players checking their phones on Sunday as they wait for the call from the England coach, Steve McNamara, that would prolong their season by another few weeks.
It has been a year since England last played an international game and the Test series against New Zealand offers McNamara plenty of dilemmas about whittling his pool of players down to a 24-man squad for the three games against the Kiwis, as well as a warm-up game against France on 24 October. With his contract up at the end of the year, the decisions are more crucial than ever for his future.
Amazingly, the game at Leigh will be the first international England have played on home soil since losing the World Cup semi-final to New Zealand in gut-wrenching fashion two years ago and with next year’s Four Nations and the 2017 World Cup on the horizon, this autumn provides England with a great opportunity to start that period well by knocking off the world’s No1-ranked side.
McNamara will have to leave some players disappointed, but if he is picking on form rather than reputation there are plenty who stand a good chance of selection. Two of those come from Castleford, who once again produced an impressive season under the stewardship of Daryl Powell to finish fifth in Super League. That success was heavily driven by the performances of the half-back Luke Gale – although with Gareth Widdop coming over from Australia and the Wigan pair George Williams and Matty Smith vying for a place in the halves his inclusion is by no means guaranteed.
Gale and his Castleford team-mate Michael Shenton were present at a squad meeting at the end of last month where around 40 potential England players met to discuss the ifs and buts of selection and despite Castleford’s last game being two weeks ago, Gale is still training in the hope of receiving his first invitation to the senior squad. “Hopefully my season isn’t over yet,” he said. “I’ve got to keep myself fresh and ready in case the call comes. There’s no putting my feet up or anything like that.
“All this talk has made me play better. It gives me much more confidence and if Steve picks me, it’ll be a dream come true. I’m enjoying keeping going.”
Perhaps McNamara’s most difficult choice will be on the wing. Josh Charnley, who played in the Four Nations last year, has fallen down the pecking order at Wigan and was not included in their Grand Final squad at the expense of their other young English talents, Joe Burgess and Dominic Manfredi.
That could open the door for Super League’s top try-scorer, Huddersfield’s Jermaine McGillvary, to receive his first call-up. Twenty-seven tries this season has strengthened his chances, as did his presence at the meeting in Bury last month. “It was amazing to be there,” he said. “Steve rung me the week before and said I’ve been giving him headaches and to just keep going and keep making his job hard.
“He asked me to be part of the meeting and the initial set-up and it was amazing. I haven’t spoken to him for ages so it was nice to hear from him. He said it’s no guarantee I’ll be in the final squad but he wants me to be around the boys and see what it’s all about. It was nice to see everyone in one room.”
