That is the decision that gives the rest of the lineup its meaning. Lewis travelled as one of England’s three half-back options after doing enough, despite what the BBC described as an inconsistent season with Hull KR, to edge his way into the squad. For the opener, McDermott has preferred Smith’s steadiness next to Williams, and Lewis joins Ben Currie and Ben Talty outside the matchday side.
Tournament selections have a way of stripping away the softer language. Coaches may talk about options and balance, but the first game tends to show which combinations they trust when there is no room to hide. England’s path through the men’s competition is a combined six-team Group B-C, with only the top two advancing to the semi-finals, so this is not a night for broad experimentation.
McDermott has made another pointed call at full-back, selecting AJ Brimson ahead of Jack Welsby. Brimson is one of the heritage-qualified players the England coach has been keen to use in assembling what he sees as the strongest possible squad, and in this case the theory has become selection. Welsby is on the interchange instead.
There is fresh blood in the starting side too. Max King starts at prop, Hugo Savala is also in the XIII, and Victor Radley is there from the outset. The BBC lists King and Savala as debutants, which gives the team an edge of reinvention even in a fixture that is really about getting through Tonga cleanly and convincingly.
England’s starters are AJ Brimson, Dom Young, Hugo Savala, Herbie Farnworth, Zach Eckersley, George Williams, Harry Smith, Max King, Brad O'Neill, Morgan Knowles, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul and Victor Radley. The interchange is Jez Litten, Luke Thompson, Ethan Havard, Sam Walters, Jack Welsby and Matty Ashton. Lewis, for now, waits with the reserves.
Marcus Azzopardi 
Dua Mifsud