All English players have World Cup chance – McNamara
England coach Steve McNamara says every English Super League player has the chance to earn a place in his World Cup squad at the end of the year.
Speaking at the launch of the new Super League season at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, McNamara challenged every player to set new standards with their clubs and play their way into his selection plans for the World Cup, which starts two weeks after the 2013 Grand Final.
He said: “The next 10 months are going to be fantastic as we embark on what I believe is the biggest Super League season in living memory.
“Every English player who has ambitions of playing in the Rugby League World Cup now has the chance to prove himself in what will be the most intense Super League competition we have seen.
“It is a new campaign where every game will matter. Established players that have been part of the England group since it was created three years ago will want to continue to set the standards and the young talent coming through can also push to be in the squad that will bid to make history this autumn.
“It’s an open selection policy: we are committed to selecting the best players and I hope to see every players produce his best throughout every round of Super League and all the way to the 2013 Grand Final.”
As part of the season launch, Super League unveiled it’s “14 super heroes” as part of the new “extraordinary rugby” branding for the league in 2013.
The 14 super heroes involved in the Extraordinary campaign are as follows:
– John Bateman (Bradford Bulls) – The Bradford Bulldozer
– Rangi Chase (Castleford Tigers) – The Castleford Hawk
– Leon Pryce (Catalan Dragons) – The Fireball of Catalan
– Eorl Crabtree (Huddersfield Giants) – The Hulk of Huddersfield
– Tom Briscoe (Hull FC) – The Rocket of Hull
– Michael Dobson (Hull Kingston Rovers) – The Hull KR Mastermind
– Ryan Hall (Leeds Rhinos) – The Leeds Try Tornado
– Kieran Dixon (London Broncos) – The London Phantom
– James Roby (St Helens) – The St Helens Dynamo
– Jodie Broughton (Salford City Reds) – The Salford Sidewinder
– Tim Smith (Wakefield Trinity Wildcats) – The Wakefield Wizard
– Ben Westwood (Warrington Wolves) – The Warrington Wrecking Ball
– Kevin Brown (Widnes Vikings) – The Widnes Kingpin
– Sam Tomkins (Wigan Warriors) – The Wigan Whirlwind