England Rugby League half-back Gareth Widdop has been ruled out of the Samoa test on Saturday, May 6 after sustaining a left knee injury against Sydney Roosters on Anzac Day.
Warrington Wolves’ Stefan Ratchford will replace him in the 20-man squad.
Widdop’s club, St George Illawarra Dragons, confirmed the NRL’s leading point scorer will be out of action for up to six weeks with a medial ligament strain.
“Gareth is one of the in-form players in the game at the moment so it’s disappointing to lose him from the squad,” said head coach Wayne Bennett.
“He’s been part of the national team since 2010 so I can imagine he’ll be pretty frustrated not to be involved with the players and against Samoa.
“We wish Gareth all the best and hope to see him back out there performing to the high level that he has been doing this year.”
