Grace and Bentley called up for international duties

Regan Grace has been named in Wales' final 16-man squad for the 9s World Cup whilst James Bentley is in Ireland's training squad for their final European qualifiers for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Grace, who is set to feature for the Saints in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final against Salford Red Devils, will travel to Australia for Wales’ 9’s campaign which takes place at Parramatta Eels’ Bankwest Stadium in Sydney on October 18 and 19, but Morgan Knowles is not considered as he was recently named in the Great Britain performance squad.

Elliot Kear will captain Wales for the second successive year and is joined by leading try-scorer of all-time Rhys Williams. Rhys Evans and twin brother Ben are both named in the 16, while the experienced Lloyd White could feature for the first time since 2016.

Dalton Grant, twins Connor and Curtis Davies, Dan Fleming and James Olds also make John Kear’s squad, with Cobi Green and Will Evans the only uncapped players named. Ben Flower and Chester Butler both miss the tournament through injury, while Gil Dudson is unavailable.

Wales’ 16-man squad in full:

Rhys Evans, Dalton Grant, Cobi Green (Bradford Bulls), Will Evans (Burleigh Bears), Connor Davies, Curtis Davies, Dan Fleming (all Halifax), Elliot Kear, Rhys Williams (both London Broncos), Lloyd White (Mackay Cutters), Regan Grace (St Helens), Gavin Bennion, Mike Butt, Rhodri Lloyd (all Swinton Lions), Ben Evans (Toulouse Olympique), James Olds (West Brisbane Panthers).

In other international news, James Bentley, who was Saints hero last time we faced Salford, is included in Ireland’s training squad for this autumn’s final European qualifiers for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

The Wolfhounds are in pool A and their Pool A fixtures will see them play Spain in Valencia, on 26 October and Italy in Dublin on 9 November with the top two teams going through.

Ireland train-on squad:

Lee Walsh (Athboy), Fiach Millward, Sam Cullen, Shane Kelly (Barrow Cudas, Carlow), Michael Ward (Batley), Joe Keyes (Bradford), Euan Tierein (Coventry Bears), Martyn Reilly (Dewsbury), Matthew Towey (Galway Tribesmen), Oliver Roberts, Ronan Michael (Huddersfield), Ethan Ryan (Hull KR), Gregg McNally (Leigh), Ben McKiernan, Graham OKeefe, James Mulvaney, Kevin Varga, Matt Connolly, Matthew Coade (Longhorns RL), Roland Podesta (Manly), Danny Bridge (Oldham), Api Pewhairangi (NZ Warriors), Tyrone McCarthy (Salford), James Bentley (St Helens), Frankie Halton (Swinton), Anthony Mullally, Bob Beswick, Liam Kay (Toronto), Jack Mackin (Tweed Head Seagulls), Jack O’Sullivan (University of Gloucestershire), George King (Wakefield), Keenan Brand, Pat Moran, Riley Dean (Warrington), Callum O’Neill, (Widnes), Liam Byrne (Wigan), Dec ODonnell (Workington).

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