Inclusion of Sinfield should see Chase excel

Steve McNamara will look to a similar styled partnership which saw Rangi Chase excel at club level to tease the best out of the gifted Maori on his England international debut tomorrow night.

The Castleford Tigers stand-off, who won Man of Steel for his beguiling displays this season, lines up at scrum-half against France in Avignon.

Alongside him will be Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield, an experienced influence whose kicking and organising skills should allow the more colourful Chase scope to flourish, just as a seasoned Danny Orr has as his steadying half-back partner at Wheldon Road.

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England coach McNamara has resisted the temptation to switch Sinfield to his former loose forward role and throw Gareth Widdop in at stand-off, the 22-year-old who enjoyed a seminal campaign there for Melbourne Storm.

Instead, Widdop, who made his England debut at full-back last year after just a handful of NRL games, will get chance to show his new-found game-controlling ability once arriving from the bench.

Alongside Chase, who qualifies through residency, there are two other England debutants in the Yorkshire-born Brisbane Broncos centre Jack Reed and Wests Tigers’ loose forward Chris Heighington whose father hails from Durham.

There is also a richly-deserved recall for Kirk Yeaman, the prolific Hull FC centre who returns for the first time since playing for Great Britain against New Zealand in November 2007.

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There is no place for four of Leeds’s eight Grand Final winners but, after this sole warm-up before the Four Nations opener versus Wales on Saturday week, McNamara says chances will come.

“The make-up of the side looks very exciting, with the right blend of youth and experience,” he said.

“But I’ve also been pleased with the attitude of the players that haven’t made the side.

“They will come into contention as the Four Nations gets under way.”

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England: S Tomkins (Wigan); R Hall (Leeds), J Reed (Brisbane), K Yeaman (Hull), T Briscoe (Hull); K Sinfield (Leeds), R Chase (Castleford); J Peacock (Leeds, capt), J Roby (St Helens), J Graham (St Helens), G Ellis (Wests Tigers), B Westwood (Warrington), C Heighington (Wests Tigers). Substitutes: G Widdop (Melbourne), A Morley (Warrington), J Jones-Buchanan (Leeds), J Wilkin (St Helens).