Bridge and Harrison added to England squad

England coach Tony Smith has added Warrington duo Chris Bridge and Ben Harrison to his initial 40-man train-on squad ahead of the Four Nations tournament.

The duo – who have both played for Ireland – are part of the continuing trend of players switching their national allegiances with Danny Brough one player already making himself available for Smith.

“They mentioned to me that they were interested in being ‘English’ again,” said Smith. 

“Both have represented England at junior level before. They have always had the ambition to play for England and when we did our end of season reviews at Warrington they spoke of their desire to play for England.

“For now they have been called into the train-on squad – whether they go on to play for England remains to be seen. They have both put their hands up for England and it’s good to have them along.

“They have both had pretty good years. Ben has had a lot of recognition for his effort, he’s maturing and is keen to make the next step up into representative rugby league and I’m happy to help him with that.

“Chris had a really solid year, he was consistent and didn’t have many injuries. He put a lot of pressure on opposition teams. He’s a dangerous player who will create a lot of opportunities.”