Wakefield boss Chris Chester tips Joe Westerman for an England recall

Chris Chester says he will be pushing loose forward Joe Westerman for an England recall after he scored the 100th try of his career to help Wakefield maintain their resurgence with a 30-20 win over bottom club Leigh.

Westerman, who made his only previous appearance for England against Samoa in 2014, brought up his century on the 350th appearance of his career to help Trinity make it three Super League wins in a row.

“I think Joe Westerman is playing the best rugby I’ve seen for a long time,” Chester said. “I’ll be meeting Shaun Wane on Tuesday and I’ll certainly be singing his praises.

“I’ve given him the freedom to play what he sees. He played 80 minutes today and did some good stuff.”

Trinity were made to work hard for the points by an injury-hit Centurions outfit which for long periods looked capable of breaking their duck.

Speaking post-match, Chester was full of praise for his opposition in their first game since the departure of former head coach John Duffy.

He said: “First and foremost I’ve got to commend Leigh for the way they played. They made it very difficult for us.

“It was very scrappy but the two points is what is important and I’m pleased we found a way to win.

“We speak about playing the Wakefield way but sometimes you come up with errors and we came up with plenty of errors today, which is disappointing, especially after last week when everything stuck.”

Chester also confirmed that his side are likely to be without forward Kelepi Tanginoa for Friday’s game at Warrington, but winger Tom Johnstone will make his return from a two-month lay-off.

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