England Knights (previously known as Emerging England and England A) is considered the feeder team for the
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
rugby league team. The Knights play a key role in the development of emerging talent, allowing players to gain experience in an international environment and to compete for a place in the England first team.
History
1990s–2000s: Origins
The idea of a second England team originated in the 1990s as "Emerging England" to give young players a chance to play internationally before being called up to the senior side. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s Emerging England played against the senior sides of developing nations. In another incarnation as "England A", the team took on the
Australian Kangaroos
The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian ...
in the second game of the
2003 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
The 2003 Kangaroo Tour was a six-match tour by the Australia national rugby league team of France, Wales and England, and to date has been the last Kangaroo Tour. The last three matches were all Tests against Great Britain national rugby league te ...
. The Kangaroos defeated England A 26–22 in front of 6,817 fans.
2011–13: Foundation
In the late 2000s, the idea of a second England team was dropped until 2011 when the RFL decided to resurrect it as England Knights. A squad of players under 25 were chosen play against France and where they came out 38–18 victors. The following year they competed in and won the
2012 European Championship and defeated Samoa in a 2013 test match.
2014–17: Hiatus
The England Knights team was not utilized at all between 2014 and 2017.
2018: Return
In 2018 it was announced that the Knights would go on a two series tour of Papua New Guinea.
Current squad
Squad selected for the upcoming match against
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
on 15 October 2021.
Competitive Records
Overview
References
External links
England Knights
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National rugby league second teams
Rugby league in England
England national rugby league team