Blake Austin in mixed training group for autumn internationals

A 28-man squad incorporating players for the England World Cup Nines team, the Great Britain Lions tour and England Knights’ game against Jamaica has been revealed.

It includes 12 players from the GB performance squad and 16 from the England Knights performance squad announced in July.

The squad will meet up for two seasons in Manchester this week under Knights head coach Paul Anderson and pathways coach Paul Sculthorpe.

It doesn’t include any players from those still involved in the Super League play-offs – St Helens, Salford and Wigan – or from the NRL.

Castleford quartet Mike McMeeken, Greg Minikin, Jake Trueman and Liam Watts have been given an additional week off to recover from their team’s play-off defeat to Salford last week.

England’s 16-man squad for the inaugural World Cup Nines in Sydney will be announced next Sunday ahead of their departure on Saturday October 12.

The 24-man squad for the four-match Lions tour of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, which gets under way against Tonga in Hamilton on October 26, will be announced on Monday October 14 ahead of their departure for Sydney 48 hours later.

That group will attend the Nines and link up with those members of the England squad who have also been selected for Great Britain to fly on to Auckland on October 20.

Squad: Mike McMeeken, Greg Minikin, Jake Trueman, Liam Watts (Castleford Tigers), Sam Tomkins (Catalans Dragons), Matt English, Kruise Leeming, Jermaine McGillvary, Darnell McIntosh, Oliver Wilson (Huddersfield Giants), Josh Bowden, Jake Connor, Masi Matongo (Hull FC), Chris Atkin (Hull KR), Ash Handley, Harry Newman, Mikolaj Oledzski, Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos), Rob Butler (London Broncos), Reece Lyne (Wakefield Trinity), Blake Austin, Daryl Clark, Chris Hill, Jack Hughes, Toby King, Tom Lineham, Joe Philbin, Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves).