Rugby League: Fielden Rested for Great Britain

Great Britain's new coach Tony Smith confirmed yesterday that the Wigan prop Stuart Fielden will be one of several senior players rested from the one-off Test against France at Headingley on June 22. "We want to have a look at a few new faces with next year's World Cup in mind and that gives us a chance to give guys like Stuart who have been on the scene for a while a bit of a break," said Smith, who will announce his first 22-man squad 10 days before the game.

Keith Senior, the Leeds center, is also likely to be omitted although Smith stressed that both he and Fielden remain in his plans for the Test series against New Zealand at the end of the season. John Monie, the former Wigan coach who will lead France into the World Cup, believes that they can already field a pack to trouble Britain, largely thanks to the progress being made by the Perpignan-based Catalans Dragons.