ENGLAND will once again face the Combined Nations All-Stars in their mid-season international match as part of their preparations for this year's delayed Rugby League World Cup.

The game will be played over the weekend of June 17-19, which has been left clear in both the Super League and Championship fixture schedules, at a venue to be confirmed.

The Halliwell Jones Stadium hosted last year's clash between the two, which the All-Stars won 26-24.

It has also been decided that the All-Stars will play in a special jersey to raise funds for those affected by the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga earlier this month.

Carl Hall, the long-serving Doncaster chief executive and former RFL Vice President who is chair of the Pacific Islands Rugby League Group and will continue as team manager for the All Stars in 2022, said:

“This is a great gesture from the RFL, Rugby League Cares and OXEN Sports.

“Tonga has become such a force in rugby league in recent years, with their incredible run to the semi finals of the last World Cup in 2017, and there have been so many great players of Tongan descent who have come over to play with English or French clubs.

“We’ve all seen the terrible and frightening scenes since the volcanic explosion, with some players anxiously awaiting news of their relatives.

"I know a lot of rugby league clubs and supporters will want to find a way of showing their solidarity with the Tongan people over the coming days, weeks and months.

“It will be an honour and a privilege for us to do our bit when the Combined Nations All Stars come together to face England this summer.”

There will also be mid-season internationals for the England women's and wheelchair teams as all three national sides prepare for the World Cup on home soil.