England fitness boost

England coach Steve McNamara has reported a clean bill of health ahead of Saturday's international Origin series opener against the Exiles.

Thirteen members of McNamara's 21-strong squad arrived at the team's Loughborough training camp on Monday injury free from the weekend's Stobart Super League matches and the Rugby Football League revealed there were no referrals from their match-review panel.

The five-strong Wigan contingent will link up with the squad after returning from their match against Catalan Dragons in France and McNamara will be keeping his fingers crossed that the Huddersfield trio of Danny Brough, Eorl Crabtree and Leroy Cudjoe emerge unscathed from their game against Hull KR at the Galpharm Stadium on Monday night.

"All the players, with the exception of the Huddersfield boys who play tonight, have come through without any problems from the weekend's matches," said McNamara, who will name his team on Thursday.

"It is pleasing that we have a healthy group throughout the week and we can select from a full-strength squad."

Warrington second rower Ben Westwood, who was omitted from McNamara's squad before going on to play for his club on Friday night, explained via Twitter that he is to undergo a hernia operation that will sideline him for a fortnight.

Exiles coach Daniel Anderson, who flew in from Australia on Sunday to take charge of the overseas team for the two-match series, was checking on the fitness of his players at their St Helens training base on Monday.

With doubts over Warrington hooker Michael Monaghan and Huddersfield forward Luke O'Donnell, who have not played for more than a month, and Catalan forwards Lopini Paea and Louis Anderson, who were hurt in the defeat by Wigan, Anderson's 18-man squad could virtually select itself.

Meanwhile, Hull hooker Danny Houghton has withdrawn from the England Knights squad to face Ireland on Saturday for family reasons and the medical staff will assess St Helens half-back Jonny Lomax after he sustained a shoulder injury in his team's victory over Bradford last Friday.