England head coach Brian McDermott has confirmed he will make a minor change to his team selection heading into their Rugby League World Cup tie with France.

McDermott named an unchanged 19 following last week’s defeat to Tonga, in a move that caused some discontent among the English fanbase.

George Williams remains alongside Harry Smith in the halves, with Mikey Lewis again missing despite being labelled as a “point of difference” pre-tournament.

The England boss has confirmed that the only switch will come on the wing, with Matty Ashton coming into the starting side for Zach Eckersley.

Reinforcing the fact that it wasn’t a performance-based decision, McDermott again praised the Wigan Warriors winger for a complete performance, barring a drop ball on his first catch.

Ashton comes in for his first England appearance since 2024, with an ACL injury ruling him out of last week’s Ashes series.

Eckersley will resume a place among the six-man interchange bench and will still have every opportunity to feature.

“He had that moment there where he bobbled the ball on the high catch,” the England boss said of the Wigan youngster. “After that, I was very, very impressed with how he handled that.

“He carried the ball and certainly carried it in really tough positions for us and then dealt with a load of high-pressing catches after that. So that was very impressive.

“But again, we’re in a tournament where they need to have a look at a few people as well.”

Of Ashton, McDermott said: “Him and Zach Eckersley have both had really, really good seasons. Very similar type of players.

“Both play on the ‘ad line’, both carry it in really difficult positions. They’ve both got an ability to find the ground. It’s like for like almost.”

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