NRL trio won’t return for England

England‘s NRL-based trio Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis and Gareth Widdop will not be allowed to return to England for the clash with “Exiles” All Star team on June 10.

Souths, Wests and Melbourne released their men for last season’s mid-season international against France, which England won comfortably, but appear to be taking a stronger stance this time round, with any possible trip ruling them out of an NRL regular season game.

Souths chief executive Shane Richardson told Australian magazine Rugby League Week: “He (Burgess) won’t be going – it’s not an international, it’s an invented game, a trumped up game.

“The trip home last year had a detrimental effect on Sam which he acknowledged. We agreed he would not go this year and he was part of that decision.”

Burgess figures prominently in promotional material for the game, modelling the new England kit, while Ellis told The People newspaper at the weekend he wanted to play in the inaugural clash.

Wests Tigers and Melbourne officials said they knew nothing about the game.

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