A PAIR of Bradford-born stars are aiming to guide England into the Rugby League World Cup final after a successful tournament so far.

John Bateman and Elliott Whitehead will both be looking to guide England into the World Cup final, to be held on November 19, when they face Samoa in this Saturday’s semi-final (2.30pm kick-off), which will be played at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Following England’s quarter-final victory last weekend, Bateman tweeted alongside an England flag emoji: “Enjoyed that!!! Semi-final bound.”

 

If England qualify for the showpiece they will face the winners of the Australia v New Zealand semi-final, which will be played this Friday night.

Bateman and Whitehead have a shared history at both club and country including the latter driving them both to training during their spells with the Bradford Bulls. They were also team-mates in Australia at NRL side Canberra Raiders.

But it is their performances in the Rugby League World Cup on home soil over the last few weeks which has grabbed people’s attention.

Both Bateman and Whitehead have starred for England in the World Cup so far.

England topped the Pool A table with a 100 per cent record with three wins from their opening three matches. This included a 94-4 rout over Greece on October 29.

Back row Whitehead, 33, who played junior rugby at West Bowling, scored a brace of tries in England’s opening group 60-6 win over Samoa last month. He has also played for Catalan Dragons in the Super League from 2013 to 2015.

They also helped guide England to a 46-6 victory over Samoa in the quarter-final held on November 5.