‘It came on Whatsapp’ – Leeds Rhinos star reveals Shaun Wane’s surprise

VaselineJune 25, 2024

0 2 minutes read

‘It came on Whatsapp’ – Leeds Rhinos star reveals Shaun Wane’s surprise

Shaun Wane named his England squad yesterday and saw some surprise names included with six possible debutants named, including Leeds Rhinos’ James McDonnell.

The second singer has previously represented Ireland and played for them at the 2022 World Cup, but he told BBC Radio Leeds that the chance to represent England was worth the “risk” of not representing Ireland again.

McDonnell was one of three Leeds Rhinos players to be called up alongside Harry Newman and Ash Handley, both men apparently having gone through the concussion protocol and qualifying for selection. The full team can be seen here.

McDonnell, 24, has played 38 times since moving to Leeds Rhinos ahead of the start of the 2023 campaign and has been one of the club’s most consistent performers, however he revealed the call-up was a “big surprise”.

Quiz: Can you name all these former Leeds Rhinos players?

1.

THE TEST STARTS!

Leeds Rhinos striker shocked at England call-up

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds to react to the news of his call-up, James McDonnell explained it was a “surreal” moment.

He said: “It was a surprise, a big surprise, but obviously a welcome one. It was a little surreal when I got the call.

“Shaun Wane called me. He just came on Whatsapp saying Shaun Wane was calling so it was a surprise but yeah we spoke on the phone a bit and obviously I told him I was totally on board.”

The Wigan-born player then explained the huge honor for him to receive a call-up, claiming it came much sooner than expected.

The Leeds Rhinos man said: “I think probably for every English player that’s probably the ultimate goal, isn’t it? It was on the radar, I don’t know how soon I anticipated it, I certainly didn’t anticipate it this time, but like I said, it was a very welcome surprise and definitely a huge honor.

“From that conversation with Waney, he obviously said this experience would do me good. He said it was a reward for the work I did at Leeds and the season we had.

“I’m not entirely sure about the playing time and the selection process, but I’m just happy to be around the team and be ready to compete. Then obviously heading into the squad on Wednesday shows a bit of what I’m about and then obviously the selection is up to Waney and we’ll see where we go from there.”

France have named an incredibly strong squad for the game as well, with the Catalans Dragons releasing 13 players as well as a player carried over from the NRL.

Meanwhile, Wane’s team has actually come under a lot of criticism online, with one fan even believing the team is full of “bang-average players”.

VaselineJune 25, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Quiz: Can you name all these former Leeds Rhinos players?

1.

Leeds Rhinos striker shocked at England call-up

Vaseline

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