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Five debutants in GB squad

22/10/2007

Tony Smith has named five uncapped players in his 25-man Great Britain squad for the first Test against New Zealand.

Samoan-born Maurie Fa'asavalu of St Helens, who qualifies through residency, and Bradford Bulls' 18-year-old second-row forward Sam Burgess are two of those who have been included.

Burgess' team-mate, full-back Michael Platt, is also named alongside Warrington Wolves hooker Jon Clarke and Leeds Rhinos second row Jamie Jones-Buchanan.

Fa'asavalu played for Samoa in the rugby union World Cup in 2003 but switched codes and national allegiance when he moved to England four years ago.

The only club represented in the squad that did not make the playoffs in this season's Super League is Warrington, who finished seventh one place outside the qualifying spots.

Jon Clarke, Martin Gleeson and Adrian Morley are all in the squad, while the rest of the players are contracted to Super League champions Leeds Rhinos, beaten finalists St Helens and the other four clubs in the playoffs – Bradford, Hull FC, Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors.

"I believe this is a very strong squad, which is a nice blend of youth and experience, who are ready to face what will be three very difficult games against Gary Kemble's New Zealand," said head coach Smith.

"With the World Cup in Australia less than 12 months away, I thought it important to bring in some new faces.

"By giving them an opportunity to be part of the squad now and maybe feature in some of the games, I think we'll benefit from it greatly further down the line."

Full Great Britain squad:

Sam Burgess (Bradford Bulls, age 18, caps 0)
Rob Burrow (Leeds Rhinos, 25, 2)
Jon Clarke (Warrington Wolves, 28, 0)
Gareth Ellis (Leeds Rhinos, 26, 14)
Marie Fa'asavalu (St Helens, 27, 0)
Ade Gardner (St Helens, 24, 2)
Martin Gleeson (Warrington Wolves, 27, 17)
James Graham (St Helens, 22, 2)
David Hodgson (Huddersfield Giants, 26, 3)
Jamie Jones-Buchanan (Leeds Rhinos, 26, 0)
Danny McGuire (Leeds Rhinos, 24, 10)
Adrian Morley (Warrington Wolves, 30, 27)
Terry Newton (Bradford Bulls, 28, 14)
Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan Warriors, 24, 8)
Jamie Peacock (Leeds Rhinos, 29, 23)
Michael Platt (Bradford Bulls, 23, 0)
Leon Pryce (St Helens, 26, 15)
Gareth Raynor (Hull FC, 29, 4)
James Roby (St Helens, 21, 5)
Keith Senior (Leeds Rhinos, 30, 30)
Kevin Sinfield (Leeds Rhinos, 27, 13)
Paul Wellens (St Helens, 27, 17)
Stephen Wild (Huddersfield Giants, 26, 2)
Jon Wilkin (St Helens, 23, 4)
Kirk Yeaman (Hull FC, 24, 2)