England will not have to face Greg Inglis, the strapping Australia centre who has done them so much damage in recent encounters, in the Four Nations series at the end of this season.
Inglis will make his last appearance for the Melbourne Storm this weekend before joining the Brisbane Broncos, who have instructed him to have shoulder surgery to ensure his fitness for the start of their 2011 campaign.
The absence of Inglis, who won the Golden Boot as the best player in the world last year after carving England to pieces in Wigan, just as he had in scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup match in Melbourne 12 months earlier, is the latest of several blows to the Kangaroos' preparations for their defence of the Four Nations title.
His former Melbourne team-mate Israel Folau will not be considered having signed to play Australian Rules football next year, and another Brisbane centre Justin Hodges has already been ruled out with a long-term achilles problem. But the bad news for England is that Johnathan Thurston and Darren Lockyer, the half-backs who have been as dominant in international rugby for Australia in recent years as they have for Queensland in the State of Origin series, both remain hopeful of recovering from injury to play in the tournament.
Thurston has ankle ligament damage and Lockyer is currently out with a rib injury. Neither are the Kangaroos exactly short of quality replacements for Inglis, Hodges and Folau. Michael Jennings and the former St Helens centre Jamie Lyon are the leading contenders to play in the centres but Mark Gasnier, who recently returned from French rugby union, could also be considered.
Kieron Purtill, the St Helens assistant coach who has ended speculation that he may succeed Brian McDermott at Harlequins by agreeing a new two-year contract to work with the new Saints coach, Royce Simmons, will take charge of the revived Canada team in the forthcoming Atlantic Cup.
Quins will finally be able to make a positive announcement about their future before their last game of the season against the Challenge Cup winners Warrington at The Stoop tomorrow, as the Rugby Football League are thought to have helped them secure new investment to ease the burden on their long-term backer David Hughes.
The game will be the last at the club for their prop Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook, whose contract expires at the end of the season and who is now expected to join St Helens, despite the best efforts of Quins to keep him. The Lewisham-born 24-year-old came was their player of the season in 2009, when he played in every game. He has made two appearances for England, both against Wales, in 2008 and 2009.