McNamara names former Bradford Bulls charges in initial England squad (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

McNamara names former Bradford Bulls charges in initial England squad

7:47pm Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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England coach Steve McNamara has included four players from his old club Bradford in his initial train-on squad for the Four Nations Series in Australia and New Zealand this autumn.

Bulls captain Andy Lynch and team-mates Jamie Langley, Nick Scruton and Paul Sykes are among ten players selected from the Super League clubs who failed to make the play-offs.

The other call-ups are Harlequins trio Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Tony Clubb and Ben Jones-Bishop, Castleford pair Joe Westerman and Michael Shenton and Salford winger Jodie Broughton.

Of the clubs whose season ended at the weekend, only Wakefield and Catalans fail to provide any representatives.

The ten players, who were all in McNamara’s 37-strong squad for the mid-season get-together, will begin training next Wednesday in preparation for England’s warm-up match against Cumbria in aid of the family of Garry Purdham which will be played at Whitehaven on Sunday, October 3.

McNamara will add further players as clubs drop out of the play-offs before announcing his final 24-man Four Nations squad on Monday, October 4, two days after the Grand Final.

McNamara has also named former Bradford forward Sam Burgess in his squad after his Australian club South Sydney failed to make the NRL play-offs.

Burgess will remain in Australia and, if selected, join the rest of the squad en route to New Zealand on Saturday, October 9.

Meanwhile, current Bulls star Craig Kopczack has been included in Wales’ 34-man squad for their defence of the European Cup.

Uncapped Danny Jones of Keighley, former Bull Matt James (Barrow) and Sean Penkywicz of Halifax are also in the party, which is coached by ex-Bradford star Iestyn Harris.

Wales meet Italy in a friendly at Wrexham on October 3 before playing European games against Scotland, Ireland and France, with the winners claiming a place in the Four Nations alongside England, Australia and New Zealand.