Kevin Brown gets England call up

Williams damaged a knee in Wigan's 54-4 Super League defeat at Castleford on Saturday night and was immediately ruled out of the game in Sydney.

He was due to catch a flight to Sydney with his Wigan and England captain Sean O'Loughlin on Sunday but instead will stay behind to undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury he sustained in the first half of the game against the Tigers.

"George has been one of the stand-out players in the Super League this season so it's disappointing that we have lost him for the game next week," said England head coach Wayne Bennett.

"He performed well in the 2016 Four Nations and I'm disappointed not to have the chance to work with him over the coming week. We wish him all the best and hope to see him back out there performing for his club soon."

Brown, 32, becomes the second Warrington player to receive a belated call-up following the selection of utility back Stefan Ratchford to replace St George Illawarra's Gareth Widdop, who picked up a knee injury in his side's latest NRL match on Tuesday.

"Kevin Brown was a good member of the squad in the 2016 Four Nations and he is now beginning to settle in at his new club," Bennett said. "I'm looking forward to working with him again next week when the squad meet up."

Brown, who moved from Widnes to Warrington in the close season, ended a six-year absence from the international scene when he was recalled by Bennett for the 2016 Four Nations Series.

Meanwhile, Bennett will check on the fitness of former St Helens prop James Graham, who was taken off with concussion during Canterbury Bulldogs' win over Canberra on Saturday.

England have already lost South Sydney front rower George Burgess after he was handed a four-match ban for a shoulder charge.

The eight-strong advance party, comprising players from St Helens, Warrington, Leeds, Huddersfield and Hull, landed in Sydney on Sunday morning and will link up with the seven NRL based players on Monday.

Saturday's Test match, to be played at Campbeltown Sports Ground as part of a triple header featuring all the Pacific Island teams, is seen as a key component of England's preparations for the end-of-season World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.