England Test in USA set to go ahead

Press Association understands the match will go ahead on Saturday, June 23, on a weekend deliberately left free by Betfred Super League clubs for internationals.

It is also a blank weekend for the NRL but several clubs raised their objections because of the travel involved.

Wigan’s Sean O’Loughlin, John Bateman, George Williams (England) and Thomas Leuluai (New Zealand) were involved with those national teams at the World Cup.

The Denver game is the brainchild of Australian promoter Jason Moore as part of his bid to raise awareness of rugby league ahead of the 2025 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA and Canada.

England are also playing the Kiwis in a three-match Test series in the UK in October and November.

The Rugby Football League has decided on the next England coach.

RFL rugby director Kevin Sinfield has completed his review into the 2017 World Cup and his recommendations on the position of head coach and the rest of the backroom staff have been approved.

It is not clear whether the RFL has managed to retain the services of veteran Australian coach Wayne Bennett or moved on to a successor but an announcement is expected within a fortnight.

Bennett’s two-year contract ran out at the end of December’s World Cup final, in which England went down 6-0 to Australia in Brisbane.

The RFL’s interim chief executive Ralph Rimmer recently announced that the new head coach would be appointed on a four-year contract to take in the 2021 World Cup.

Bennett, whose day job is being head coach of Brisbane Broncos, will be 71 by the time of the next World Cup.