Westwood last played for England in 2006 (Getty)

England coach Tony Smith says second rower Ben Westwood's impressive performances for Warrington have merited his international recall.

Westwood, who last played for England in the 2006 Federation Shield, is in the squad to face France on Friday.

Smith said: "Ben's a big, strong player that's got some versatility.

"He can play in various positions and he's a handful when he's playing well and he's been playing well recently, so I'm happy to include him in the squad.

He continued: "He was on the verge of it last year, we selected him for the squad in the Northern Union game and he was in our train-on squad."

Smith has picked three Warrington players and seven St Helens players but there are no representatives from Wigan, with both Sean O'Loughlin and Gareth Hock ruled out through injury.