By STEPHEN IBBETSON
IAN BLEASE has expressed his pride after seeing the number of Salford Red Devils participants in the World Cup increase to ten.
Salford had already set a club record when eight players were named in the initial squads, surpassing their seven representatives in the 2000 tournament.
But that number was extended last week when Samoa, following an opening-day defeat to England which saw them suffer several injuries, called up both winger Ken Sio and centre Tim Lafai.
The pair both had exceptional seasons for the Red Devils to claim places in the Super League Dream Team.
Sio finished second in the division’s try-scoring charts with 26, following up a 2021 campaign in which he finished top with 19 tries.
Meanwhile Lafai, who also played for Samoa in the previous two World Cups, had a brilliant first year in Super League after joining Salford late in pre-season from Canterbury Bulldogs.
They join the England trio of Kallum Watkins, Marc Sneyd and Andy Ackers at the World Cup, alongside Ryan Brierley and Sam Luckley (who has signed for Hull KR) for Scotland, Wales’ Rhys Williams, Morgan Escaré of France, and Fiji’s King Vuniyayawa.
Blease, Salford’s director of rugby and operations, said: “Seeing Ken and Tim join-up with the Samoan squad is a proud moment for the whole club.
“Both players were instrumental to our success in 2022 and totally deserve this recognition.
“I’m sure playing on the World Cup stage is something they’ve always dreamt about, so to see them have that opportunity will be a special occasion.
“Taking the club record up even further has just emphasised how much progress has been made on and off the field last season.
“It’s an incredible achievement for everyone involved and we wish everyone good luck in the rest of the tournament.”
Meanwhile head coach Paul Rowley and assistant Kurt Haggerty have both agreed new three-year deals.
