Can understand it, thought we looked light on props before Thompson got banned.

NY idea when the full squad is announced?

Marshall finally in a squad! Much deserved. Wardle out through injury. I recall him grabbing something, as though he was hurt on Saturday. It's such a shame that these injuries keep cropping up around international time because I think he would be huge for us.

Wardle and Farnworth would be a great centre partnership.

As good, if not better than anything any other nation could throw at us IMO. They're probably the best centres on either side of the globe. Such a shame we're yet to see it in action and it's also a shame that at a time we have a great backline, we're now struggling in the forwards. Imagine if you had a backline like this one, with a forward pack like the one in the early 2000's, with guys like Morley, Peacock, Fielden, Sculthrope, Farrell etc in it.

I've read that Wardle has 'withdrawn himself from selection'. Is he injured?

Yes, apparently Wardle and Johnstone are injured. Everyone else who didn't make the cut, such as Dupree, was a form based decision.

Tbh if you look at the backs from that time, they weren't awful. In the 2003 Ashes we had Radlinski, Carney, Connolly/Gleeson, Senior/Gilmour, Scully and Long/Deacon in the backs. Richard Horne on the wing was the obvious glaring anomaly Other than Carney, we didn't have a single decent British winger around then. Unless you count Mark Calderwood but I doubt anyone does.

The other glaring anomaly was the coach - David Waite was absolutely useless. Anyone even slightly competent would've got us at least 1 win in that series.