Leigh to host England

Friday 12th March 2010

Leigh Sports Village has been chosen to host England's mid-season international against France.

The match at the home of Championship club Leigh Centurions will be held on Saturday, June 12, with a 5.15pm kick-off.

It will be the first major game to be held at the 10,000-capacity venue, which was opened just over 12 months ago.

The match will also mark the debut of the new England coach ahead of the Four Nations series in New Zealand and Australia in the autumn.

The Rugby Football League are in the process of searching for a successor to Tony Smith, who stepped down for personal reasons after last November's Four Nations final.

The League are confident they will have their new man in place in time to prepare the side of the annual fixture with Bobbie Goulding's France.

Meanwhile, the kick-off times for the end-of-season Four Nations series have been confirmed, with matches taking place at breakfast time in the United Kingdom.

Details are:

Saturday October 23, Westpac Stadium, Wellington: New Zealand v England (8pm local time, 8am UK). Sunday October 24, Parramatta Stadium, Sydney: Australia v Papua New Guinea (4pm local time, 6am UK). Saturday October 30, International Stadium, Rotarua: New Zealand v Papua New Guinea (6pm local time, 6am UK). Sunday October 31, Melbourne: Australia v England (8pm local time, 9am UK). Saturday November 6, Eden Park, Auckland: England v Papua New Guinea (6pm local time, 5am UK); New Zealand v Australia (8.15pm local time, 7.15am UK). Saturday November 13, Final, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (7pm local time, 9am UK).