England women include four Wigan Warriors players in their National Performance Squad

Head coach Craig Richards has selected Rebecca Greenfield, Vicky Molyneux, Rachel Thompson and Georgia Wilson in the group of 31.

The squad will come together for the first time on January 15 at Weetwood Sports Park in Leeds.

Richards said: “I’m really pleased to have named our first National Performance Squad in a World Cup year.

“The majority of the players included have been in or around the programme for some time now and I feel we have some real quality amongst the squad.

“It’s great to have been able to add Keara Bennett to the squad after she consistently performed for Leeds throughout 2021.

“We had several international debutants last season and there are certainly going to be opportunities for players to break into the side before the World Cup.

“We’ve been building towards this World Cup for a number of years now, but we know how crucial our preparations over the next nine months are going to be.”

England Women begin their Rugby League World Cup campaign against Brazil at Headingley Stadium on November 1.

A clash with Canada at the DW Stadium takes place November 5, before finishing the group stage back in Leeds against Papua New Guinea on November 9.

The RFL are also looking to finalise a mid-season international programme ahead of this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

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