Hull FC pair Joe Cator and Jordan Lane have both been named in Paul Anderson’s latest England Knights squad.
Anderson has named a 27-man squad to help some of Betfred Super League’s brightest young talents prepare for international competition in 2021 and beyond.
Both Cator & Lane are named in the Knights squad for the first time, having both impressed as two of the Black & Whites’ top performers over the course of the last 12 months.
Loose-forward Cator was crowned the club’s Young Player of the Year in his debut season with the Airlie Birds in 2020, and widely regarded as one of the competition’s best young players across the season, while back-rower Lane has gone from strength to strength over the last year, now finding himself as a regular in FC’s match day squads.
Both have previously represented England an youth levels, with Cator having played for the England Academy side, while Lane represented the England Youth side with playing U16s rugby for Hull.
The pair are just two of several new selections in the squad, including Huddersfield’s Matty English, Leeds’ Alex Mellor, and Castleford’s Jacques O’Neill.
Discussions around Knights fixtures for 2021 are underway and Anderson’s Knights will also be joining sessions with Shaun Wane’s senior squad during the summer, with Anderson keen to help his players bridge the gap between domestic and senior international competition.
“Through the Knights programme we’re investing in the future of England Rugby League,” Anderson said.
“The Knights is part of a performance pathway from schoolboy level upwards and I am excited about the prospect of working with the players who have reached this stage of their development. My job is to prepare them for the next step – the senior international team.”
“People scrutinising the squad with a 1-17 scenario in mind will be wasting their time. In the Knights set up we’ll be focusing on helping players make the transition from domestic to international competition, which means exposing them to the critical differences between what they experience day-in and day-out with their clubs and what they can expect as England internationals. The Knights is about more than simply games and results.
“For some players the chance to represent the senior side may come at RWLC2021; for others it might be 2025. Shaun is very clear about what he wants and expects from the Knights, and I’m very clear about supporting him.”
The full England Knights squad can be found below:
Matty Ashton (Warrington Wolves),
Rob Butler (Warrington Wolves),
Tom Davies (Catalans Dragons),
Matty English (Huddersfield Giants),
Joe Cator (Hull FC),
Ethan Havard (Wigan Warriors),
Jordan Lane* (Hull FC),
George Lawler (Hull KR),
Matty Lees (St Helens),
Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos),
Darnell McIntosh (Huddersfield Giants),
Liam Marshall (Wigan Warriors),
Alex Mellor (Leeds Rhinos),
Mikolaj Oledzki (both Leeds Rhinos),
Jacques O’Neill (Castleford Tigers),
Oliver Partington (Wigan Warriors),
Danny Richardson (Castleford Tigers),
Aaron Smith (St Helens),
Cameron Smith (Leeds Rhinos),
Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors),
Morgan Smithies (Wigan Warriors),
Jake Trueman (Castleford Tigers),
Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves),
Jake Wardle (Huddersfield Giants),
Jack Welsby (St Helens),
Matt Whitley (Catalans Dragons),
Oliver Wilson (Huddersfield Giants).
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