Brian McDermott, the new England rugby league coach, may have ended as many England careers as he has launched. In naming a 38-man pool for the World Cup in October, he inadvertently handed unwelcome invites to the England one-cap club.
Uncapped players chosen over one-cap wonders
McDermott selected 10 uncapped players, five of whom are middle forwards: Dean Hadley (Hull KR), Sam Walters (Wigan), Caleb Hamlin-Uele (Wakefield), Ben Talty (Brisbane) and Max King (Canterbury). They were chosen instead of Elliot Minchella and Owen Trout.
Trout started in Leigh's 24-6 win against Warrington on Saturday and, at 26, still hopes to make the World Cup before joining the Dolphins in the NRL this year. If he does not add to his sole cap from the Ashes last year, Trout will join an even more exclusive group: England players whose only cap came against Australia. The last to do so was Shaun Lunt, who debuted in Melbourne in 2010 but never played for England again.
Minchella's realistic view
Minchella's only England appearance came in a friendly in Toulouse in June 2024, a game coach Shaun Wane missed due to illness. Wane preferred Victor Radley and Morgan Knowles, both included again. Before the World Cup pool was announced, Minchella said: "I understand where I am in the pecking order. It's the position that's pretty stacked and I'm probably not near the top. I'd love to play for England in a World Cup, but I'm also not stupid enough to think I'll be in there." His pessimism proved accurate.
McDermott's own one-cap status
McDermott should empathise with those he left out. He has one England cap, from a friendly against Wales in 2001, though he played four times for Great Britain, giving his membership an asterisk.
The one-cap club includes quirky stories. Kruise Leeming, born in Eswatini, has two Combined Nations All Stars appearances and has played more times against England than for them. Wane gave single caps to several Super League stalwarts and emerging talents, especially when NRL players were unavailable for friendlies.
Fading dreams for older players
While Oliver Wilson, Tom Holroyd and Sam Wood are young enough for second chances, the dream fades for players in their 30s like Niall Evalds, Liam Sutcliffe, Joe Greenwood, Joe Philbin, Joe Batchelor and Jordan Abdull. Philbin, moving to London Broncos after 12 years at Warrington, has a bizarre international career: five Ireland appearances, two for Great Britain, two for England Knights and one for England.
With most internationals in tournaments or series, players often make multiple appearances. Periods before and after World Cups are prime for one-cap wonders as coaches rest players or experiment. England games were scarce in the latter half of the last century when Great Britain was prioritised, so Ellery Hanley, Garry Schofield and Shaun Edwards made only a few England appearances despite 118 Great Britain Tests between them.
Charles's unexpected cap
Chris Charles had his moment against France in 2005 while Great Britain locks Gareth Ellis, Kevin Sinfield and Jon Wilkin prepared for the Tri Nations. "It was a bit bizarre really," he says. "We'd finished the season at Salford and were having time away when I got a phone call saying I was in. I was in my late 20s by then so it was totally out of the blue. Representing my country was something I'd dreamed of since I was a young kid and worked towards all my career."
Charles did not mind that his chance came in a friendly with fewer than 3,000 spectators at Headingley. "It didn't matter who we were playing or the circumstances," says the former Hull KR forward. "I was in the moment, lining up to sing the national anthem for the first time, the hairs on my neck standing up. I was playing at the next level." Charles was replaced by Wilkin for England's next game and never played again. He now lives in Hull, where his son Jack plays for the Robins.
Gleeson and Bell
Mark Gleeson, who came off the bench in that match against France, is one of 35 players whose sole England appearance came as a substitute. Gleeson may be the only bathroom fitter in Wigan with an England cap who also spent years living in a spiritual retreat.
At least the one-cap wonders made it onto the pitch. When Keir Bell was called up by Scotland for a World Cup qualifier against Wales in 2006, he stood on the touchline waiting to debut when the final hooter went. He was never capped but has a cool story for colleagues at Middlesex University admissions.
Every player gets one physical cap
Every England player is a one-cap wonder in a sense: the RFL issues only one physical cap, presented the evening before a player's debut. Sam Tomkins, with 36 England appearances, and Sam Powell, who played a few minutes, each have one cap.
Charles, now a firefighter, has his on a wall at home. "I hadn't realised you got an actual cap," he says. "I left the cap and shirt in a drawer for a very long time, but eventually got them framed. Now it's the only shirt I've got up, at the top of the landing. I look at it sometimes when I walk past, but I don't talk about it. No one mentions it, but they can't take it away from me."
Magic Weekend returns to Everton
Having smashed the attendance record with 82,925 spectators over two days, Super League will take Magic Weekend back to Everton next year, but earlier, on the May Day bank holiday weekend. The league is prepared to compromise on scheduling to secure a popular venue. Hill Dickinson joins a list of stadiums considered for major events, including the Principality in Cardiff after a dozen years' absence.
