St Helens and England team-mates Shona Hoyle and Victoria Whitfield will be rival captains in the Women’s Origin fixture at Sewell Group Craven Park on Saturday (K.O. 2pm).
Hoyle will lead her native Yorkshire, while Whitfield steps up as Lancashire captain following the late withdrawal of Jodie Cunningham.
Cunningham tweaked her hamstring in training on Wednesday evening, although she remains hopeful of being fit to lead England against Wales at The Lextan Gnoll in Neath on Saturday week.
Hoyle is one of three Saints in the Yorkshire squad, with Phoebe Hook and Caitlin Casey, while Betfred Women’s Super League leaders Wigan provide seven of Lancashire’s starting 13 – including six of the seven backs – and another two players on the interchange bench.
The match is part of an Origin double-header in east Hull, kicking off at 2pm – after the second men’s Academy Origin fixture of the season, which kicks off at midday.
Both games will be shown on the England Rugby League YouTube channel.
The Women’s Origin match is the last chance for players to press their claims for inclusion in the England squad to play Wales in Neath on Saturday week (August 9) – with England Women head coach Stuart Barrow to finalise his squad over the weekend.
Lancashire: Banks (Wigan); Partington (York), Wilson (Wigan), M Jones (Wigan), Davies (Wigan); Foubister (Wigan), Rowe (Wigan); Whitfield (St Helens, capt), Mottershead (St Helens), Stott (St Helens), Melvin (Leigh), E Hunter (Wigan), Rudge (St Helens). Interchange: Atherton (Wigan), Woosey (St Helens), Gregory-Haselden (Wigan), McColm (St Helens), Salihi (St Helens).
Yorkshire: Brown (Huddersfield); Kershaw (York), Cousins (Leeds), Renouf (York), Hook (St Helens); Dagger (York), Walker (Leeds); Northrop (Leeds), Casey (St Helens), Hoyle (St Helens, capt), Murray (Leeds), Andrade (York), Sykes (Leeds). Interchange: Brennan (York), Wood (York), Stead (Leeds), Bruce (Leeds), Hornby (York), Iceton (Huddersfield).
