ENGLAND will give debuts to eight players in tonight’s one-off Test against France at Leigh Sports Village.

As expected, there are places for Wakefield three-quarters Tom Johnstone and Reece Lyne, St Helens prop Luke Thompson and Castleford loose forward Adam Milner after they were all included in coach Wayne Bennett’s elite squad.

With the nine Grand Finalists from Wigan and Warrington held back for the Test series against New Zealand, which begins on October 27, Bennett will also handed debuts to four players drafted in from the England Knights squad — Jamie Shaul (Hull), Oliver Holmes (Castleford), Liam Sutcliffe (Leeds) and Robbie Mulhern (Hull KR).

The team will be captained by former St Helens prop James Graham, England’s most-capped international who will make his 41st appearance at the Sports Village, in the absence of Sean O’Loughlin and Sam Burgess.

St Helens duo Jonny Lomax and Tom Makinson will miss the France game with minor injuries but are expected to be in contention for the Test series against the Kiwis, along with the six-strong Wigan contingent and three players from Warrington.

Team: J Shaul (Hull); J McGillvary (Huddersfield), R Lyne (Wakefield), M Percival (St Helens), T Johnstone (Wakefield); J Connor (Hull), R Myler (Leeds); T Burgess (South Sydney), J Hodgson (Canberra), J Graham (St George Illawarra, capt), E Whitehead (Canberra), O Holmes (Castleford), G Burgess (South Sydney). Subs: L Sutcliffe (Leeds), R Mulhern (Hull KR), L Thompson (St Helens), A Milner (Castleford).