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Joe Burgess will make his first international appearance in a decade after being named in England’s 19-man squad for the final Ashes Test against Australia.
31-year-old Hull winger KR made his last three appearances for England during the 2015 series against New Zealand.
Head coach Shaun Wayne has confirmed he will play against the Kangaroos at the AMT Headingley Stadium in Leeds on Saturday.
Burgess’s return caps off an impressive 2025 season, in which he was a key part of Hull KR’s treble-winning campaign.
“It’s a credit to him, he’s been given a new lease of life at Hull KR,” Wayne said of the player he previously coached at Wigan Warriors. “I’m very happy to be able to give him a starting opportunity. It means something to me.”
Asked if he thought he would one day return to international rugby, Burgess said: “Yes, if I step back – I did it once, I can do it again. Once you get to 31, you wonder if it’s too late. But I knew I had the ability to play again. That was always the ultimate goal.”
“This has been the best year of my life, the first time I’ve won the Challenge Cup and the Premier League. Then I was called back into the England squad. It’s been an unbelievable year that I still haven’t fully processed.”
England, who lost the first two matches in the three-match series, are without winger Dom Young, who suffered a broken foot.
Meanwhile, the Australian side features just one change to the starting XI, with captain Isaah Yeo returning to the XIII after missing the second Test after failing a head injury assessment.
It means Australia return to the side selected for the first Test at Wembley, with Yeo lost forward, Patrick Carrigan back in the front row, and Lindsay Collins dropped to the bench.
Saturday’s match begins at 14:30 GMT, and will be broadcast live on BBC One.
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