McNamara brings in Briscoe, Graham and O’Loughlin

Tom Briscoe and James Graham have replaced Josh Charnley and Lee Mossop in England‘s matchday squad ahead of the clash with Ireland on Saturday.

The third and final change sees Wigan captain Sean O’Loughlin replace the suspended Sam Burgess at loose forward.

Briscoe, who has left Hull FC to sign for Leeds ahead of the 2014 season, will be looking to add the two international tries he has managed so far in his England career.

Graham meanwhile, who has 21 caps to his name, was left out for the defeat to Australia and head coach Steve McNamara refused to answer questions on the decision.

McNamara had this to say on his latest squad announcement:

“Josh Charnley did fine last week. He has a slight shoulder niggle so the rest will do him no harm. The competition for places amongst the wingers is very fierce and Tom Briscoe has done extremely well in training. He will be given a chance to make an impact.

“Lee Mossop came on at difficult period in the game last week and he tried his best in what was a tough match against Australia. I just wanted to slightly change things around and go with some different personnel.

“It is a positive to have Sean O’Loughlin available for selection. He is valued by the group and we understand the qualities he brings to the squad. He is fit and looking forward to it. Having him available gives us a new dimension to the forward pack with great depth across all positions.”