BRAD ARTHUR has insisted that Ash Handley should be one of the first names on the England team sheet.
Handley starred again for Leeds Rhinos with a hat-trick in their 50-16 Magic Weekend victory against Bradford Bulls.
The centre has only earned two full international caps – the last coming in 2024 – but is a strong contender for a place in Brian McDermott’s World Cup squad this autumn.
“Every week Ash just does the same for us, and his leadership goes from strength to strength,” Leeds coach Arthur said of his captain.
“He’s one of the first guys I’d be considering for England. He’s got the complete game for me and sets the highest standards.”
Handley also set up two tries including one for Maika Sivo, who scored in a tenth consecutive Super League game – a new Leeds record.
“Maika’s record had been talked about, and it shows how much he means to the group that Ash put him over,” said Arthur.
On the match overall, the coach said: “I thought we started well and built the game nicely, but we didn’t quite finish it the way we wanted to.
“But we’ve played a lot of high intensity rugby in the last month. We’ve got high expectations and our middles were so strong, I couldn’t be prouder of them.
“There’s so much belief in this group.”