If that's the best side we can come up with we might as well pack in now (I'm not saying it isn't by the way). However my side would be...

Smith
Raynor
Gleeson
Shenton
Fox
Pryce
Myler
Burgess
Roby
Graham
Peacock
Ellis
O'Loughlin

Hock
Lynch
McCarthy-Scarsbrook
McGuire

No - they've said the side will be drawn from inside and outside the elite (sic) squad.

Yeah I know. Kind of defeats the object.

This just seems daft and half baked.

Perhaps the hierachy identified consitency of approach as a key learning from the WC post-mortem?

indeed. I think we shoudl just abandon the international side...lets just pretend it doesn't exist and SL is the be all and end all...

Yet Tom Briscoe is selected, despite not being able to play until August.

As others have said, all seems a bit half-baked and irrelevant, the squad bears no resemblence to any side he'll use against France, what with there being 6 props, no full-back and only 1, unfit, winger.

burrow doesnt really deserve to be in there

yes he does,for me anyhow

brough has represented scotland so would he be able to play for england? hypothetical i know but just enquiring,

In a word, yes.

He changed his allegience after the World Cup and under the wonderful rules the RLIF have in place, he's available for selection immediately, rather than having to wait 2 years as has happened before the World Cup.

thought so, but does it make a mockery of international r.l? i mean calders signed up for scotland then quickly sacked that off when smith came calling. i think it needs looking at properly.

I think it needs looking at like this......

Calders was slightly different, in that he'd never represented Scotland before playing for England. That's not unheard of in many sports; as an example I remember Stuart McCall going so far as to make the bench for England U21's, before going on to represent Scotland.

However, it's a different matter when players are allowed to change countries after representing another. I realise we've only a small pool to pick from, but I'd prefer it if once you'd represented Country A that was it, they're the only country you can play for.