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Six Salford Red Devils players selected in World Cup squads

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Salford will be represented in four different nations’ teams in October’s showpiece tournament.

Marc Sneyd, Andy Ackers and Kallum Watkins have all been selected for the England squad, with the formers set to make their debuts. Elsewhere, Ryan Brierley has been picked for Scotland, Morgan Escare for France and Rhys Williams will captain Wales.

Halfback, Sneyd had a stellar year. In his first season after returning to Salford from Hull he broke the Super League all-time record points in a season with 228. After previously being named for Ireland but never appearing for them, Sneyd will be earning his first ever international cap if he plays in RLWC23.

 

Hooker Andy Ackers is in the form of his career. He was made Man of the Match in Salford’s Quarter Final win vs Huddersfield and was a huge blow on Red Devils chances in the Semi Final when he went off injured early. Ackers is one of only two hookers in England’s squad, alongside Michael McIlorum, so is odds on to debut and possibly shine for the Lions.

Second Row/Centre, Kallum Watkins, is the one experienced member of Salford’s England trio, having played 26 times and scored 12 tries for England. He also featured heavily in the 2017 World Cup, starting in all of England’s knockout games including the final. This will be Watkins first England appearance as a Salford player.

Fullback Ryan Brierley, named for Scotland’s squad, will be looking to add to his tally of 7 caps and 3 tries for ‘the Bravehearts’ in their group fixtures vs Australia, Fiji and Italy. He was one of Red Devil’s standout-stars this season, scoring 10 tries in 23 games.

Meanwhile, fellow fullback Morgan Escare’s France team play England in the group stage, creating a potential clash between Salford teammates Escare and Sneyd, Ackers and Watkins. Escare and France will also play Samoa and Greece.

Finally Rhys Williams will have the honour of captaining his nation at Rugby League’s biggest tournament. The utility back has played 30 times for Wales, scoring 22 tries, and has played at Salford since 2020. His Wales team face a tough draw against Tonga, Cook Islands and Papau New Guinea.

Other Salford players received international recognition this week as Red Devils’ Tyler Dupree and Deon Cross represented England Knights, England’s official ‘B’ side, in a friendly vs France ‘B’. A promise of more international call-ups to come.

The tournament starts on the 15th of October with England facing Samoa in the opening game in Newcastle. You can buy tickets for the final at Old Trafford here: https://tickets.rlwc2021.com/accountLogin.html

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