County ARL boss Gary Hewer says he feels humbled and honoured, after being named as the new BARLA Great Britain men's head coach.

Hewer will take charge of the national amateur side for their upcoming tour of Fiji in November.

This caps a memorable career in rugby league for Hewer, who also played for the GB side around 30 years ago.

"I was invited for an interview by the BARLA board a few weeks ago, with a view to being the head coach and taking a touring side to Fiji," explained the former Distington head coach.

"I was absolutely delighted to be offered the chance.

"I played for BARLA some 30 years ago now and now I am going to coach a BARLA side at the highest level, which is a fantastic honour.

"It is a privilege and I feel humbled and honoured. BARLA have a proud history of producing talented players.

"They have been on several tours around the southern hemisphere so to be added to that list of coaches is a real honour.

"I also think it is great for the area to have a Cumbrian coach at that level."

Hewer, who was also Whitehaven RL number two for a time and coached Carlisle RU side, is now getting down to the nitty gritty of his role.

"We are now looking to select a squad which will be mixed across Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire," he added.

"We want a team who has earned the right and will do BARLA proud against Fiji.

"We will be up against some very talented rugby league players and it is a great experience as well.

"So we are now in the process of selecting that squad ahead of the trip to Fiji between November 9-24."