Kristian Woolf: Why Mark Percival and Jonny Lomax have to miss World Cup

Percival had been out of action with a knee injury since May, but returned for the last two games of the season and scored in the Grand Final, while Lomax has had a well-documented ruptured bicep since April.

However, Woolf explained that the risks to Percival playing on this autumn would be potentially career ending.

Lomax, who featured in the 2017 World Cup Final, has played the campaign with a number of other ailments on top of the bicep injury – injuries that rule him out of the World Cup Woolf said: “Mark Percival’s injury is not something that needs surgery but if it is not looked after properly it could be career ending.

“It is important to say it is not a matter of him pulling out of the World Cup, but he is unfortunately unavailable and can’t play in a World Cup.

“He has done an outstanding job in getting through the last two games – but with that comes a little bit of risk.

“But if he continued to take that risk that could ultimately finish his career early so there is only one real decision there and that is the one that has been made.

“In Jonny’s case – everyone knows about the bicep injury, but he has been carrying three or four ailments all year. Those ailments have become worse as the year has worn on.

“I am not sure how many more games those two could have played if we had to keep going after the Grand Final date.

“It is really important that people understand that and they are not criticised for that because they have put into positions that they have to make decisions that they don’t want to make.

“They are both extremely passionate about playing for England and both 100 per cent wanted to make themselves available but unfortunately they physically can’t.”

Saints have five players in the England squad – Tommy Makinson, Jack Welsby, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees and Joe Batchelor.

The tournament kicks off in Newcastle with England’s game against a NRL-packed Samoa team on 15 October.