Opinion: England v Australia, the Warrington Wolves possibles

However, Covid-19 put paid to this event a while ago, with the pandemic causing suspensions to both the Super League and NRL campaigns and bringing about the need for the domestic seasons to be extended.

But based on this season's form, which Warrington Wolves players should have been pulling on an England shirt in the first test at Bolton today, a match which would have been the first under the stewardship of new England head coach Shaun Wane?

Sports editor Mike Parsons gives his thoughts:

Full-back: Stef Ratchford

In my opinion, the Wire number one has never been given a fair crack in an England shirt.

He's been in tournament squads at the end of a season and taken on tour but not been picked.

Wayne Bennett stuck him out on the wing in a World Cup match in 2017, a position he's never started for Warrington.

He's produced outstanding one-off performances and then been axed for the next game, months or a year down the line.

Ratchford is one of Super League 2020's most consistent performers, and has been for many years.

The Wire are a far stronger unit when he is looking after things at the back.

Dependable under a high ball, terrific positional sense, brilliant at chiming into the line wide out and delivering a perfect pass or kick for a try, a willing worker out of dummy half and very deceptive when carrying the ball and calling on his dandy footwork and pace.

Another plus point is that this season his goalkicking is above the 85 per cent success rate that most marksmen set as their goal.

He would have strong competition from Catalans Dragons' form full-back Sam Tomkins, who would be liked for the position by Wane from their days together at Wigan. But I would find a way for them both to fit in, by playing Tomkins in the halves.

Left centre: Toby King

He's earned his corn as far as I'm concerned.

King has been highly underrated but people have started to take notice this year.

Solid in defence and deceptively quick, he has developed into a first-class centre over the past few years.

There's nobody better under a high ball in Super League on the opposition's try line, and that is a ploy often called on in the Test arena.

And the fact that his winger for most of the season Tom Lineham was scoring plenty of tries could be hugely accredited to the work of King on his inside.

I can't think of an English centre that has performed better over the course of 2020.

The exit of Ryan Atkins at the back of 2019 was a signal that King needed to step into the spotlight and realise his potential and I believe we've seen him doing that.

And I also feel his confidence has grown as a result and is rubbing off in his performances.

He's earned his stripes at international level playing for Ireland and England Knights, and now he is surely ready to be let loose on the biggest stage.

As far his wing partner, how about Wakefield's Tom Johnstone?

Prop: Mike Cooper

Not the biggest front rower in the world, but he has one of the biggest hearts.

Coops actually plays well above his weight, packs punch and never lets the Wire down.

He works hard, tackles all day, and earns good metres by the use of his handy footwork when approaching the defensive line.

And he can do some ball-playing, which is important at Test level. The former Latchford Albion junior has soft hands when producing little tip-off passes to fellow forwards, and is outstanding with his accurate offloads even when there's two or three defenders trying to smother him.

Another huge plus in Cooper's favour is his durability. He would run all day for England, no problem.

He's had a taste of international football, but for some strange reason has been left out in the cold since despite being a better player for the experience he now has under his belt from his time in the NRL.

Hooker: Daryl Clark

It's time the best hooker in Super League was given 'first-choice' status in the national team.

This would allow him to truly shine in the Test arena rather than playing bit-parts as he has been asked to do in the past.

For me, in past seasons England or Great Britain have looked far more dangerous with him on the field when he has been called on off the bench.

And no wonder, because his spark out of dummy half is electric. He burns defences with his speed and sidestep, while having far better game sense these days as to when to go himself and when to ship the ball to first receivers.

He has eagle eyes for spotting opportunities, whether that's close to the try line or 80 metres away. And he could run that distance without being caught ifthe opportunity arose.

His defence is top-notch too, a part of his game that has really developed since joining Warrington from Castleford. A missed tackle would be rare, a big hit not so.

It's possible that Josh Hodgson, who has pinned the international number nine shirt down since leaving Hull KR for the NRL with Canberra Raiders, has edged previous coaches' thinking because of his ability to kick deep out of dummy half.

Bench: Chris Hill

International teams require all sorts, including experienced Test campaigners.

Wire co-captain Chris Hill has been a very consistent performer for England and would still make my 17, especially as his form has been improving as the season has progressed.

He probably benefitted more than most from his body having a break during the Covid shutdown because he has had minimal time off the field since arriving at the club due to his club seasons being capped with international campaigns every year.

Bench: Joe Philbin

Joe Philbin gained international recognition with his deserved Great Britain appearances last year.

That came from being highly effective off the bench for Warrington, delivering explosive power down the middle looking to cause as much collateral damage as possible.

I'm not sure whether he has had quite the same impact over as many games this year, but he's certainly had another solid season for a Wire pack that has been dominant in many of its matches.

He's so hungry to achieve that I think he would find another gear pulling on the England shirt for the first time.

Close:

Ben Currie is getting closer to his best form of 2016 before his injury woes began. Being back in the England squad, at least, would do his confidence a world of good in my opinion.

There's no substitute for class and Gareth Widdop is starting to find his feet in Super League and could be a good bet as a starting half back in the World Cup next year. Lots of competition from the likes of Jonny Lomax, Luke Gale, Jackson Hastings, Blake Austin, Sam Tomkins