Steve knows a Manu can

ENGLAND coach Steve McNamara seems to have opened up a can of worms with his call-up of Tongan Willie Manu.

Other members of the 37-man train-on squad looked shocked on Tuesday when Hull FC second-rower Manu, 30, arrived at a Royal Marines camp in Liverpool ahead of the Four Nations series Down Under.

Manu qualifies for England on residency grounds but his selection will light the touch paper as far as the game's traditionalists are concerned.

His selection comes on the back of Tony Smith's selection of St Helens forward Maurie Fa'asavalu for Great Britain in 2007.

Fa'asavalu was singled out for special attention in GB stalwart Terry Newton's book, in which he revealed that the players were miffed by Australian coach Smith's selection of a Samoan.

McNamara is already blessed with back-rowers, with Wests Tigers' Chris Heighington throwing his cap into the ring alongside Gareth Ellis and Mark Flannagan - now starring in the NRL.

The England chief also had prop Andy Lynch, his captain at Bradford, and Harlequins loanee Ben Jones-Bishop in Liverpool.

McNamara will cut his squad to 24 by the end of August.