With as many as 17 Great Britain internationals involved in tonight's top-of-the-table encounter between Leeds Rhinos and St Helens at Headingley Carnegie, the watching Tony Smith will have rich pickings from which to select his England team for the international against France in Toulouse next Friday.

“I'm sure that Tony already has a good idea about his line-up, but this game will be a big match for him and the team that performs best will have the most number of players in the England team,” Brian McClennan, the Leeds coach, said.

After Leeds's third loss in the league, to Harlequins last Saturday, St Helens can narrow the gap at the top to two points in what is also a rehearsal for the Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final next month. The Rhinos won handsomely in last year's Grand Final and 14-10 at Knowsley Road in March, but Daniel Anderson, the St Helens coach, is more concerned about the form of Catalans Dragons, a point behind Saints.

“I don't care about who's in front of us. I want to get rid of Catalans, who are on our tail,” Anderson said. “They are as big a danger as anyone in front of us. They have been very good this year and are winning games week in, week out. I'm not concerned about first place at the end of the Premiership, just about winning games. Our goal is a top-two position.”

St Helens, on a ten-match winning streak, hope to have Matt Gidley back at centre after a groin injury forced him to miss last Friday's 58-20 defeat of Bradford Bulls, but there are still problems up front and youngsters Sam Thompson, Andrew Dixon and Shaun Magennis are in a 19-man squad. Leeds received a boost yesterday, with Rob Burrow and Danny McGuire, their Great Britain half backs, signing new deals through to the end of the 2013 season.