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Jamie Peacock returns to captain England against Exiles

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England's Jamie Peacock
Image caption,

Peacock reclaims the skipper's armband for the game against the Exiles

England have reappointed Leeds prop Jamie Peacock captain for the International Origin match against the Exiles on 10 June at Headingley.

The 33-year-old, who missed last year's Four Nations series with a knee injury, made a successful return to club rugby in April after an eight-month lay-off.

James Graham captained the team in his absence but will make way for the match with Brian McClennan's all-stars.

Uncapped scrum-half Danny Brough has also been called into the squad.

"Jamie missed the tour last year due to his injury but he has worked extremely hard to get back," said England coach Steve McNamara.

"He's a huge influence both on the field and off the field and his presence is very much welcomed back."

Peacock, who has skippered his country since taking the Great Britain armband in 2005, admitted he had to return sooner than he had planned to ensure he was in with a chance of selection for the game against the Exiles.

"I knew I had to come back and play very well and come back earlier than I'd have liked," he said.

"I knew I needed to have five or six games rather than two or three.

"We have strong leaders anyway, so it's a good group to captain owing to the amount of leaders we have."

Huddersfield's Brough, meanwhile, has been rewarded for his good form this season with a place in England's elite training squad.

The 28-year-old played for Scotland at the 2008 World Cup but quit the set-up in order to try to break into the England team.

When he failed to make the cut for last year's Four Nations, he returned to play his international rugby north of the border, before making the decision to commit to England.

Image caption,

Brough will be hoping to play in the game at Headingley

"He brings a lot to Huddersfield and I'm looking forward to him offering those qualities to England," said McNamara.

"His form has been there for all to see."

There is no place for Brough's Huddersfield team-mate Kevin Brown but Warrington prop Garreth Carvell, a former Wales and Great Britain international, is included, despite not being named in either the elite squad or the England Knights party earlier this year.

Hull and Hull KR centres Kirk Yeaman and Kris Welham, the joint leading tryscorers in Super League, and St Helens' goalkicking winger Jamie Foster, the third highest English tryscorer in the competition, are all omitted.

"There are considerably more than 22 players in the Super League whose current form could justify England selection, which testifies to the high standard of the competition," McNamara added.

"It's a very pleasing situation to be in. The best rugby league teams have competition for places in every position and that's exactly what we have."

The Australian-based trio of Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis and Gareth Widdop were not made available by their clubs, with the former ruled out anyway because of injury.

England squad: Ryan Atkins, Chris Bridge, Garreth Carvell, Adrian Morley, Richard Myler, Ben Westwood (all Warrington), Tom Briscoe (Hull), Danny Brough, Eorl Crabtree, Leroy Cudjoe, Luke Robinson (all Huddersfield), James Graham, James Roby, Michael Shenton, Jon Wilkin (all St Helens), Ryan Hall, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jamie Peacock, Kevin Sinfield (all Leeds), Sean O'Loughlin, Joel Tomkins, Sam Tomkins (all Wigan).

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