Aussie Blake Austin is called up to England EPS as Wayne Bennett makes changes

The Sydney-born playmaker, 28, qualifies for England through his maternal grandmother.

He is currently leading the voting for the Steve Prescott Man of Steel Award in his first season in the Betfred Super League after joining Warrington from Canberra Raiders.

There had been speculation that fellow Australian No6 Jackson Hastings, from Salford Red Devils, could be included, too, but Bennett has opted for just one new addition in his 27-man squad.

The EPS will meet for the third time this year early next month, maintaining the focus on the 2021 Rugby League World Cup with a shorter-term goal of England’s participation in the Downer World Cup Nines in Sydney in October.

A Great Britain Performance Squad will then be selected in September.

Four players have dropped out from the first EPS of 2019 that was announced in March.

Those include centre Kallum Watkins, as a result of his move from Leeds Rhinos to the Gold Coast, because the EPS does not include players from the NRL.

However, Wigan’s Joe Greenwood and Hull KR’s Robbie Mulhern have dropped down to the Knights Performance Squad that was announced earlier today and Castleford Tigers’ loose forward Adam Milner is the other to drop out.

Kevin Sinfield, the RFL’s Rugby Director who leads the England Performance Unit, said: “Blake Austin is a quality player but just as important is his commitment to joining our England squad.

“Unlike a few other guys who would qualify to play for Great Britain later this year through their ancestry from other Home Nations, he would make himself unavailable to play any representative rugby in Australia as soon as he plays for England, because England are a Tier One nation.

“That is a good indication of his commitment to joining our group, and we believe he will be a very positive addition.

“It is a bit different this year with a Great Britain squad to be selected at the end of the season for the Rugby League Lions tour.

"But there is still a focus on England with the Nines, and after all the progress we’ve made since setting up the England Performance Unit after the last World Cup in 2017, it was important that we maintained that continuity through 2019 as we continue to work towards hosting RLWC 2021.”

England EPS: Gale, Trueman, Watts (all Castleford Tigers), Tomkins (Catalans Dragons), McGillvary (Huddersfield Giants), Connor, Shaul, Taylor (all Hull FC), Ward (Leeds Rhinos), Lomax, Makinson, Percival, Roby, Thompson, Walmsley (all St Helens), Johnstone, Lyne (both Wakefield Trinity), Austin, Charnley, Clark, Currie, Hill, Hughes, Ratchford (all Warrington Wolves), Gildart, O’Loughlin, Williams (all Wigan Warriors)