In case you weren’t aware, the Rugby League World Cup starts tomorrow.
Co-hosts Australia take on England in the opening game, with the pool A teams meeting in Melbourne for the first time since that Ryan Hall “no try” video referee decision.
Both teams have named their squads for the game and, from an England perspective, you can see what Wayne Bennett is going for, can’t you?
Jon Bateman has been pushed out to centre while Sam Burgess, Elliot Whitehead and Sean O’Loughlin make up the back row, behind Graham, Hodgson and Hill.
We like it.
Against Australia, England’s best chances will come through keeping it tight and dominating up front. That pack is huge and the backline packs a fair size, too, with Watkins lining up at centre too and Hall and McGilvery on the wings.
The bench is massive, too, with Walmsley, Tom Burgess and Heighington joining James Roby in the dugout.
It shows England’s strength in depth at 9 that not only is Roby on the bench, but the likes of Houghton and McShane haven’t even travelled with the squad.
You can’t complain with the choices at hooker: Roby is still at the top of his game despite his years and Hodgson is still killing it in the NRL.
As ever with the national team, the pivots will be the biggest bone of contention amongst fans.
Gale and Widdop are paired in the halves for the opening game, with Lomax starting at full back.
Wire duo Ratchford and Brown will have to settle with watching from the stands.
You can’t really argue with Brown’s omission (you’d be more likely to argue with his selection in the squad all together, in all honesty), but Ratchford is very unlucky to miss out at full back having impressed against Samoa in the number one jersey earlier in the year.
Sam Tomkins’ omission from the squad raised a few eyebrows and, of all the selections in the squad, you can’t help but think he’d have brought more to the squad than Brown.
Former St Helens centre Mal Menninga has named Michael Morgan at six to continue the tradition of an all-Queensland spine, joining Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater in the pivots.
It’s a shame for Jonathon Thurston on a personal level that injury has denied him a final world cup appearance and also for the spectators. That’s not a knock on Morgan’s ability, but it would’ve been good to have seen one last Thurston swansong in the green and gold, a la Lockyer in the four nations.
Elsewhere in the squad, the Australia pack looks totally different than in recent years.
Gone are the likes of Gallen and Thaiday, mainstays of the test team for so long.
They are replaced with the likes of Aaron Woods and Mat Gillett.
England will be hoping the shift of the times shifts their fortunes somewhat, with the last victory over the Aussies from a national team from these shores coming in 2006.
Dennis Betts remains the last England captain to lead the side out in a world cup final. It is long over due that changed.
Australia team: Slater; Gagai, Chambers, Dugan, Holmes; Morgan, Cronk; Woods, Smith, Klemmer, Cordner, Gillett, Trbojevic. Interchange Graham, McLean, Mcguire, Frizell.
Full World Cup Squad:
Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Penrith Panthers), Will Chambers (Melbourne Storm), Boyd Cordner (Vice-Captain) (Sydney Roosters), Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm), Josh Dugan (St George Illawarra Dragons), Tyson Frizell (St George Illawarra Dragons), Dane Gagai (Newcastle Knights), Matt Gillett (Brisbane Broncos), Wade Graham (Cronulla Sharks), Valentine Holmes (Cronulla Sharks), Ben Hunt (Brisbane Broncos), Felise Kaufusi (Melbourne Storm), David Klemmer (Canterbury Bulldogs), Josh McGuire (Brisbane Broncos), James Maloney (Cronulla Sharks), Josh Mansour (Penrith Panthers), Jordan McLean (Melbourne Storm), Michael Morgan (North Queensland Cowboys), Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm), Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm), Cameron Smith (Captain) (Melbourne Storm), Jake Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles), Tom Trbojevic (Manly Sea Eagles), Aaron Woods (Wests Tigers).
England team: Lomax; McGillvary, Watkins, Bateman, Hall; Widdop, Gale; Hill, Hodgson, Graham, S Burgess, Whitehead, O’Loughlin. Interchange Walmsley, Heighington, T Burgess, Roby.
Full World Cup Squad:
John Bateman (Wigan Warriors), Kevin Brown (Warrington Wolves), Sam Burgess (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Thomas Burgess (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves), Luke Gale (Castleford Tigers), James Graham (St George Illawarra Dragons), Ryan Hall (Leeds Rhinos), Chris Heighington (Newcastle Knights), Chris Hill (Warrington Wolves), Josh Hodgson (Canberra Raiders), Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield Giants), Mike McMeeken (Castleford Tigers), Sean O’Loughlin (Captain) (Wigan Warriors), Mark Percival (St Helens), Stefan Ratchford (Warrington Wolves), James Roby (St Helens), Scott Taylor (Hull FC), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Kallum Watkins (Leeds Rhinos), Elliott Whitehead (Canberra Raiders), Gareth Widdop (St George Illawarra Dragons), George Williams (Wigan Warriors).
Pies And Piss 