Tony Smith, the England coach, has defended his decision to drop more than half of his World Cup squad for the Gillette Four Nations series. Ruthless: England Tony Smith has an eye on the 2013 World Cup and is keen to put his faith in youth Photo: GETTY IMAGES Smith's 24-man squad, named on Monday for the inaugural quadrangular tournament, includes just 11 survivors from England's dismal campaign Down Under and Leeds stand-off Danny McGuire is the only back to keep his place from the side who lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals. Leon Pryce, Ade Gardner and Paul Wellens are the big-name omissions from St Helens and there are no places for the Leeds trio of Rob Burrow, Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Keith Senior. There are just nine players from the two Grand Finalists, compared to 15 out of 24 in the World Cup as Smith opts for a... [read full story]
