York Wasps coach Lee Crooks is to don his playing gear again tomorrow to help launch the Lincoln Financial Group Rugby League World Cup.

The former international prop forward has been named in a team of Great Britain legends to take on an overseas team in a Rugby League Festival at Rugby School.

Also in the British side for the seven-a-side touch game are Gary Schofield, David Topliss, John Bentley, Andy Goodway, Kevin Beardmore, who runs the Frog Hall pub in York, and his brother Bob.

Crooks is thrilled to be part of the build-up to the World Cup and said: "It's always nice to be thought of in that way.

"There are a lot of people they could have asked to go down and play so to be involved in the preparation for the World Cup is a bit of an honour."

The overseas line-up features former York Wasps Kiwi hooker Peter Edwards, his brother Marcus, who is currently playing rugby union for Scarborough, Tongan World Cup forward Asa Amone, Samoan international Vila Matautia and New Zealand forward Bryan Henare.

As well as promoting the World Cup, which gets underway on Saturday, the four-match festival will also celebrate the fact that rugby league has been invited to play on The Close, the playing field at Rugby School where the sport of rugby was allegedly invented by William Webb Ellis.

Also taking part in the Festival are a group of Under-11s players from Leeds, Coventry University v Luton University and Combined Services v the Rugby League Conference.

The England players will receive a pre-World Cup boost on Friday when they will meet the Duke of York after their final training session at Twickenham.

The Duke of York is the chairman of the FULL STOP appeal for the tournament's official charity, the NSPCC.

Olympic rowing hero Steve Redgrave is to present the World Cup trophy to the winners at Old Trafford on November 25.

Redgrave has previously attended several Challenge Cup finals and presented medals to the schoolchildren who have played in the Under-11s curtain raiser.