Gareth Hock has been removed from England’s Rugby League World Cup squad following “serious breaches of team discipline”.
The 30-year-old second rower was sent home from England’s training camp at Loughborough University on Tuesday.
Huddersfield’s Brett Ferres will replace Hock in England’s 24-man squad.
“Gareth Hock has been withdrawn from the England Rugby League World Cup squad with immediate effect,” an England Rugby League statement read.
“This is as a result of serious breaches of team discipline that have fallen below the strict code of conduct as agreed by team management.”
The Rugby Football League banned the forward for two years in 2009
after he tested positive for a banned substance
while playing for Wigan.
He was found to have Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in his system after he was tested following Wigan’s home match against Salford in June 2009.
Analysis
“We don’t know the exact details of what these breaches are but if you were going to pick a player who might breach discipline, Gareth Hock is the one. He does have form. In terms of him as an England player, he was always likely to be a risk – he’s an X-factor player who can turn a game, but equally does give penalties away and lacks discipline. Put this alongside the shock defeat against Italy – you hope it doesn’t lead to a meltdown and England recover their poise.”
Hock, who spent last season on loan at Widnes Vikings, was
banned for one game in March
for using abusive language towards a match official and received a four-match ban in May for making deliberate contact with referee George Stokes
in his side’s 36-0 win over Workington.
He also
received a five-match ban
for committing a similar offence while playing for Wigan in 2008.
In September,
Salford announced the signing of Hock
on a four-year deal from the 2014 Super League season.
Former Bradford, Wakefield and Castleford second rower Ferres, 27, was not in McNamara’s elite training squad at the start of the year but forced his way into contention after an impressive first full season with Huddersfield.
McNamara did not name Ferres in his 24-strong World Cup squad but he impressed the coach when playing for England Knights in their 52-16 win over Samoa at Salford last Saturday and remained on stand-by with the squad in Loughborough.
Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-london-welsh-fined-keats-172112153.html
Rugby League World Cup: Gareth Hock thrown out of England squad
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