Nsemba & Marshall in England squad for Samoa Tests

Uncapped Wigan pair Junior Nsemba and Liam Marshall have made England's final 24-man squad for the two-match Test series against Samoa.

Both players are included after helping Wigan complete a quadruple by winning the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford last Saturday.

Second-row forward Nsemba is selected a week after he was named Super League Young Player of the Year. The 20-year-old is the nephew of former Liverpool and Cameroon footballer Rigobert Song.

Winger Marshall, 28, was the leading try scorer in Super League this season.

Both were in the 31-man training squad announced by England head coach Shaun Wane in September.

Jake Wardle has withdrawn from the squad because of injury; the other six players cut from the initial training squad are his Wigan team-mate Tyler Dupree, Warrington's James Harrison, Catalans Dragons' Tom Johnstone, Hull KR pair Jez Litten and Elliot Minchella, and Leigh's Robbie Mulhern.

England play Samoa at Wigan's Brick Community Stadium on Sunday, 27 October and at AMT Headingley in Leeds on Saturday, 2 November (both 14:30 GMT), with the BBC televising both match live in the UK.

Dom Young is one of six NRL players named in the final squad, alongside his Sydney Roosters team-mate Victor Radley.

Winger Young burst on to the international scene at the start of the last Rugby League World Cup two years ago, scoring two debut tries in a 60-6 group-stage win over Samoa.

But he has not played for his country since that World Cup, sitting out the summer Tests of 2023 and 2024 because of club commitments, and missing last autumn's series win over Tonga because of a sinus infection that spread to his brain.

Young spent time in hospital but made a full recovery from the infection.

Burnley-born Dolphins centre Herbie Farnworth, a former Manchester United academy footballer, is also among the NRL contingent in the squad, as are South Sydney Rabbitohs' Tom Burgess, Newcastle Knights' Kai Pearce-Paul and Canberra Raiders' Morgan Smithies.

Like Young, they sat out June's 40-8 mid-season victory over France in Toulouse because of club commitments.

Wane said: "All of the players have picked based on their form over the last 12 months whether that be in the Betfred Super League or Down Under in the NRL and I’m confident heading into next week’s opener in Wigan."

Samoa's squad is much changed from the one that beat England 27-26 in golden-point extra time to reach the World Cup final two years ago.

Captain Jarome Luai is one of four survivors from that squad, which includes incoming Leeds Rhinos forward Keenan Palasia, plus Leigh pair John Asiata and Ricky Leutele.

Former New Zealand dual-code international Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his debut for Samoa, as will forward Jeremiah Nanai, who previously represented Australia.

Stephen Crichton, whose drop-goal condemned England to defeat in that semi-final at Emirates Stadium two years ago, is one of a number of Samoa players to miss the tour.