How the Combined Nations All Stars could line-up against England
Ellery Hanley’s Combined Nations All Stars take on England in a mid-season international test this Saturday at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Like last year, the All Stars faced selection chaos due to suspensions, injuries and late pull-outs for the clash. However, head coach Hanley managed to name a 20-man squad following delays.
Several faces from last year have been named once again, including Ken Sio, Peter Mata’utia and Kenny Edwards. There are also many news faces including Brodie Croft, Jacob Miller and captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall. England World Cup hopefuls Daryl Clark and Kruise Leeming have also been included, having missed out on Shaun Wane’s squad.
Here’s how the Combined Nations All Stars could line-up this weekend.
Peter Mata’utia (Samoa)
With the withdrawal of Jake Connor due to injury, the full-back role could be filled by Warrington’s Peter Mata’utia this Saturday. He has made a total of 74 Super League appearances, scoring 13 tries.
Ken Sio (Samoa)
Salford winger Ken Sio crossed for two tries in last year’s clash 26-24 victory in Warrington. So far in 2022, he has scored 14 tries, the joint-second most of the season behind Tommy Makinson.
Samisoni Langi (France/Tonga)
Catalans centre Samisoni Langi could make his debut for the All Stars this Saturday. The 29-year-old has won seven caps for Tonga, but could represent France at this year’s World Cup tournament.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall (New Zealand)
The Hull KR captain will also lead the All Stars this Saturday at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. The 34-year-old recently signed a new one-year deal to remain at Craven Park for 2023.
Mahe Fonua (Tonga)
Mahe Fonua wasn’t named in the original squad back in April. However, he looks set to appear for the All Stars this Saturday after earning a call-up. He scored Castleford’s winning try over Toulouse last Saturday that saw them climb to sixth in the Super League table.
Jacob Miller (Australia)
Another player who was not originally included in Hanley’s squad is Wakefield half-back Jacob Miller. The off-contract 29-year-old has made 10 try assists so far in 2022, scoring three times in Super League.
Brodie Croft (Australia)
Brodie Croft only received his call-up this week due to suspensions and injuries hitting the All Stars squad. Mason Lino had previously been named, but will miss the game due to a one-match ban. However, his replacement in Croft has been an eye-catching signing for Salford so far this season. He has produced 11 try assists for the Red Devils so far in Super League.
Matt Prior (Australia)
You would expect Matt Prior to keep his starting position at prop from last year’s All Stars side. The Leeds forward has previously represented New South Wales in 2018 and has more than 250 games to his name across Super League and NRL.
Daryl Clark (Scotland)
Warrington’s Daryl Clark has found himself named in the All Stars team, representing his heritage of Scotland. The hooker has won eight caps for England to date, and also represented Great Britain in 2019. He will be looking to impress Wane to force his way back into his squad for the upcoming World Cup on home soil.
Chris Satae (Tonga)
Hull’s Chris Satae could once again line-up alongside Prior for the All Stars this weekend, having featured for the side last year. He has made 15 appearances so far this season in Super League, and recently celebrated his 50th appearance for the Black and Whites.
Kenny Edwards (New Zealand/Cook Islands)
Another player earning a recall is back-rower Kenny Edwards. The Castleford forward started for the All Stars last year and can represent both New Zealand and Cook Islands, the latter through heritage through his grandfather.
Rhys Martin (Papua New Guinea)
Goal-kicking back-rower Rhys Martin could make his All Stars debut this weekend. Despite a rollercoaster year so far for the Rhinos, Martin continues to impress. He could feature for the Kumuls at this year’s World Cup.
Zane Tetevano (New Zealand/Cook Islands)
Leeds’ number 13 Zane Tetevano is another player who could earn his All Stars debut this Saturday in Warrington under Hanley. To date, he has represented Cook Islands on five occasions and New Zealand three times in 2019.
Bench
There’s an argument for all remaining players to feature. However, our selected bench goes as follows…
Bench: Leeming, Fifita, Ma’u, Sao.
It means that Joe Lovodua, Matt Parcell and Kelepi Tanginoa miss out.
PODCAST: Andrew Henderson on Combined Nations All Stars & international rugby league
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