LAWRENCE NAMED IN ENGLAND U18 ACADEMY SQUAD

The England Academy Under 18s squad for the tour to Australia has this morning been confirmed with Giants centre Michael Lawrence named in the squad.

The 22-man squad will depart on 16th July and will play three matches during their time ‘Down Under’.

These will include a warm-up fixture against a Brisbane Broncos Under 18s side and two ‘Tests’ against the Australian Schoolboys team.

England Academy will be coached by Basil Richards – who is currently Assistant Coach with the Bradford Bulls. The RFL’s Performance Youth Chris Chapman will be the team’s Assistant Coach.

The England Academy squad is as follows (in alphabetical order):

Shaun Ainscough (Wigan Warriors)
Matthew Ashurst (St Helens)
Phillip Baines (St Helens)
Tom Briscoe (Hull FC)
Keale Carlile (Bradford Bulls)
Jason Crookes (Bradford Bulls)
Steve Crossley (Bradford Bulls)
Ben Davies (Wigan Warriors)
Andrew Dixon (St Helens)
Liam Farrell (Wigan Warriors)
Gareth Frodsham (St Helens)
Ben Gledhill (Castleford Tigers)
Kieran Hyde (Bradford Bulls)
Michael Lawrence (Huddersfield Giants)
Jonathan Lomax (St Helens)
Shaun Magennis (St Helens)
Gregg McNally (Whitehaven)
Paul McShane (Leeds Rhinos)
Thomas Olbison (Bradford Bulls)
Kallum Watkins (Leeds Rhinos)
Gary Wheeler (St Helens)
Elliot Whitehead (Bradford Bulls)

Coaching and support staff
Head Coach - Basil Richards
Assistant Coach – Chris Chapman
Team Manager - Francis Stephenson
Assistant Manager - John Kain
Physio - Sue Ford
Dr Tony Annan – Team Physician

Fixtures

Weds 23rd July Brisbane Broncos U18s.
Sat 2nd Aug 1st Test v Australian Schoolboys in Townsville, North Queensland (date now confirmed)
Sat 9th Aug 2nd Test v Australian Schoolboys in Brisbane

Giants joint caretaker coach Paul Anderson said:

“Michael has been fantastic for us this year and there’s no doubt we’ll miss him, but there’s no way we were going to stand in his way and prevent him from going. This is a fantastic opportunity for him, and one which he has earned on the back of his outstanding performances with us.”

“We also know that going on this tour will further help him develop as a player. I was lucky enough to go on a BARLA (Great Britain amateur) tour in 1991 and I found that a tremendous benefit to me. I’m sure Michael will feel the same. You just can’t beat an experience like this, and everyone at the club is delighted for him.”