McClennan is to coach the EXiles:
England will aim to take revenge on Brian McClennan in this summer's Exiles match after the former Leeds and New Zealand coach accepted the offer to take charge of the representative team drawn from the overseas players employed in the
Super League for the second time in three years.
McClennan steered the
Exiles to a 16-12 win when they first faced England at Headingley in 2011, then handed control to the former St Helens coach Daniel Anderson when two matches were played last year, with the International Origin series drawn 1-1.
That expansion backfired as both England and the Exiles made numerous changes for the second fixture, so there will only be one game played this year, at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington on 14 June. It will have greater importance to England as it will be their toughest challenge ahead of the World Cup at the end of the season.
"The Origin game is a fantastic concept and with the World Cup on the horizon, this year's match is going to have more riding on it than ever before," said McClennan,
who left Leeds at the end of the 2010 season and had an unhappy spell in charge of the New Zealand Warriors.
"I had a great time two years ago, it was a lot of fun for everyone involved with the Exiles and I'm looking forward to replicating the spirit we had in camp in 2011."
McClennan believes that he can still pull together a strong side, despite the decline in the quality and quantity of overseas imports to the Super League in recent years as a result of the growing financial strength of the National
Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand.
Huddersfield, who are three points clear at the top of the table after seven rounds, included only two overseas players in their 17-man squad against Hull last Saturday. But Warrington, who host the Giants in the pick of the three matches on Friday night, will still offer rich pickings for McClennan.
Trent Waterhouse returns from injury against Huddersfield to join another former Australia international Joel Monaghan and his elder brother Michael in the Wolves team with Brett Hodgson, the veteran full-back who captained the Exiles last year, at full-back.
Wakefield are still missing their Australian playmaker Tim Smith, but have McClennan's old Kiwi mate Ali Lauitiiti back after injury against his old club Leeds. St Helens have four more former New Zealand internationals Sia Soliola, Francis Meli, Tony Puletua and Lance Hohaia in their squad for the visit of Salford, as well as the Australian props Josh Perry and Anthony Laffranchi, and Tonga's Willie Manu. So McClennan should still have plenty of options, and England will be braced for quite a test.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/mar/21/england-brian-mcclennan-exiles
