The inspiring rise of St Helens’ Joe Batchelor: from the backwaters of Rugby League to the World Cup

The phenomenal rise of Joe Batchelor from the backwaters of Rugby League to an England World Cup call up is straight from the pages of a Boys’ Own comic book.

Saints’ second row forward Batchelor is hoping to get the nod from head coach Shaun Wane when he names his final 17 players for Saturday’s Group A game against France at the home of Bolton Wanderers, kick-off 5pm.

It’s a far cry from the first day he pulled on a shirt for League One club Coventry Bears in the 2016 season - his first as a professional.

Since then his route to the top of the tree has been far from plain sailing, but the 27-year-old Wakefield-born player is now being rewarded for his desire and determination to reach the pinnacle of his chosen sport.

Even in his early days at the Totally Wicked Stadium he found it difficult to nail down a permanent spot at senior level, resulting in Saints sending him out on loan to develop his game further.

It must have worked wonders and on his return he grasped the nettle and now he is part of England’s World Cup squad.

It’s also a lesson to other young players who find themselves in a similar position - don’t throw in the towel because you never know what is just around the corner.

Spies in the French camp

Wise old owl Shaun Wane is leaving no stone unturned as he plots the downfall of the French in Saturday’s World Cup tie and, among other things, will be calling on ‘three spies’ in his own camp to give him a helping hand.

Sam Tomkins, Mike McMeekan and Michael Mcllorum all play for French Super League club Catalans Dragons and their knowledge of the opposition could be one of the key factors in the outcome.

This weekend’s fixture is the 52nd meeting between the two countries and Wane is expecting a tough 80 minutes against a French team which can blow either hot or cold.

Despite a ruthlessly efficient 60-6 win over Samoa at Newcastle, hard-to-please Wane insisted his team could perform better.

After viewing the post-match video, he declared: "There are still things we can do better. We ‘ve had an open chat and all the players spoke honestly and came up with some good details on what we can improve."

Referee creates history

Kasey Badger will become the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match when she takes charge of Monday’s Group D clash between Tonga and Wales at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens.

Badger will also be a touch judge for Friday’s Group B game between Australia and Scotland in Coventry while fellow Australian Belinda Sharpe, the only other woman on the panel, will run the line for New Zealand’s Group C match against Jamaica in Hull on Saturday night.

Australia’s Gerard Sutton will referee England’s Group A clash with France at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday.