WOLVES’ Ben Currie continues to receive plaudits as he prepares to make his first start for England at senior level.

The 23-year-old, who made his debut off the bench against Australia in the Rugby League World Cup opener, takes injured Sam Burgess’ place in the second row in the crunch clash with Brad Fittler’s Lebanon at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

Anything other than a win would leave England having to scrap it out with France the following weekend for the third quarter-final place on offer in Pool A.

With the stakes high, selection shows Wayne Bennett and his staff have full confidence in the contribution Currie can make at the end of a year he had spent mostly recovering for major knee surgery.

“We’re lucky that he’s got fit and it’s great for him to be in the squad,” said England assistant coach Denis Betts, who enjoyed huge success as a back rower for Wigan, Auckland Warriors and Great Britain.

“He offers lots of versatility but he offers a cutting edge. He’s big, he’s got pace, he’s got a skill level that leads to him being a stand-out in this tournament if we can keep him healthy.”

Currie, who has now represented England at all levels, impressed his Wire skipper as a late call-up against the holders and favourites in Melbourne.

“I thought he was outstanding,” said Chris Hill, who is due to achieve his 21st cap this weekend.

“He played only six games this year after coming back from his knee injury and to play 60 minutes in a World Cup opener is being thrown in at the deep end “It just shows how much he’s matured these last three years.”

Hill, who won his 20th cap at AAMI Park, says confidence in the camp remains high despite Friday’s defeat which has made them all the more determined to earn a rematch with the Kangaroos in the December 2 final.

“We can take a lot of positives out of that game,” he said. “I thought we really stuck in and showed some character, we showed that we can defend against the best. We know we can go toe to toe with them.

“The effort was outstanding. It think it was another step forward for us, from the Samoa game in mid-season, to show how much we’ve improved in the last 12 months.”

Club and country teammate Stef Ratchford, awaiting his first call in this tournament, warns England should expect a tough ride against a side captained by South Sydney’s ex-Kangaroos hooker Robbie Farah.

Thousands of Cedars supporters from Sydney’s extensive Lebanese community will be hoping for the replication of a 29-18 win over France sealed by a stunning late try from Parramatta half back Mitchell Moses.

“They’ve got Robbie Farah, Mitchell Moses in there as well as a few other NRL-quality players,” said Ratchford.

“There’s going to be no easy games but we’re fully confident we can get the job done.”