Jon Bennison has been included in the England Knights squad for the forthcoming autumn internationals against France B in Bordeaux on Sunday 2 October and Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday 8.
The 21 players are drawn from nine Betfred Super League clubs – testimony to the strength of the development systems now in place at club level.
It is a first England Knights call-up for Bennison who scored a crucial second half try in our semi-final victory over Salford on Saturday.
Wigan Warriors have six representatives, including young centre Sam Halsall – one of several products of the England performance pathway named by Anderson. Other squad members who have followed the same pathway include Huddersfield Giants’ Owen Trout, who played in the England Academy team which defeated the touring Australian Schoolboys 2-0 in 2018. Trout is one of four Giants included, with Warrington Wolves also supplying four players – all of them graduates of the England performance system.
England Knights Head Coach Paul Anderson says: “I’m proud that so many of these players have come through the England performance pathway and that is also a real credit to the development systems in place at the clubs themselves. Travelling to France and then Scotland in the space of a week is exactly the sort of experience we want to give these players to prepare them for the different challenges of international rugby, especially with an eye on the 2025 World Cup in France.”
England Knights Squad
John Bateman (Wigan Warriors), Jon Bennison (St Helens), Deon Cross (Salford Red Devils), Matt English (Huddersfield Giants), Sam Halsall, Ethan Havard (both Wigan Warriors), Jordan Lane (Hull FC), Mikey Lewis (Hull KR), Jez Litten (Hull KR), Ellis Longstaff, Matt Nicholson (both Warrington Wolves), Oliver Partington, Kai Pearce-Paul (both Wigan Warriors), Will Pryce, Olly Russell (both Huddersfield Giants), Morgan Smithies (Wigan Warriors), Josh Thewlis (Warrington Wolves), Liam Tindall (Leeds Rhinos), Owen Trout (Huddersfield Giants), Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves), Matt Whitley (Catalans Dragons).
