Martin Gleeson, who served a four-month ban four years ago for betting on the outcome of a match involving St Helens, his team at the time, will complete his rehabilitation by leading England in their final warm-up game against Wales tomorrow, before the World Cup in Australia that starts this month.

It will be Gleeson's first experience of captaincy at any level. The Warrington Wolves centre will also start the game at stand-off, as Tony Smith, the England coach, looks to broaden his options at half back among his World Cup squad of 24 players, eight of whom have been selected for the Gillette Fusion international at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster, three days before the party leave for their training base on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Smith has been impressed with Gleeson's maturity on and off the field. He has also addressed a sometimes wayward reputation by going teetotal for the past five months. “I've changed a lot about my lifestyle and I've benefited in the way I feel now and in the way I'm playing,” Gleeson, 28, who scored a hat-trick of tries in the mid-season 56-8 win over France, said.

“I like to sit back and see who the natural leaders are and he's stepped up and taken a leadership role,” Smith said. “It's a mark of his maturity and how far he's come. I'm sure he'd be the first to admit he's had a couple of chequered markers in the past, but he's well past that and thoroughly deserves the captaincy.”

It was while serving his suspension for betting on a weakened St Helens team losing to Bradford Bulls that Gleeson left the Knowsley Road club for Warrington. Although born in Wigan, much of his early rugby development took place in Australia after his family emigrated when he was 9. He returned at 17 and embarked on a professional career with Huddersfield Giants, where he came under Smith's wing. As the country's best right-side centre for several years, he has been part of the international set-up since 2002.

There are first caps for Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Tony Clubb, the Harlequins duo who are products of the London development system, Richard Myler, 18, the Salford City Reds scrum half, and Michael Shenton, the Castleford Tigers centre. The nine players chosen who are not in the World Cup squad will be on standby in case of injuries.

Scotland have secured the services of Michael Robertson, 25, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles wing, who scored three tries in Sunday's NRL final against Melbourne Storm. After losing out on Mark Calderwood, who switched his allegiance to England, Steve McCormack, the Scotland coach, was relieved that Roberston was overlooked by Australia.