Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone will be looking forward to a return to training in January with his new squad in place.

His two signings from Australia confirmed this week, Jake Mamo and Shannon Wakeman, will enjoy Christmas at home.

Both full back Mamo, signed from Stone’s former club Newcastle Knights, and powerhouse prop Wakeman, a free agent who produced some storming performances for NSW League outfit Illawarra Cutters last season, are waiting for their visas and are expected to join the club early in January.

And established international duo Jermaine McGillvary and Leroy Cudjoe will spend all the pre-season with the club.

The pair had been expected to be called away on England duty, but the Rugby Football League has pulled the plug on a planned warm-weather training camp following widespread opposition.

In the Four Nations tournament Giants winger McGillvary scored tries in the 17-16 defeat against New Zealand at the John Smith’s Stadium, the 38-12 win over Scotland at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena and the 36-18 defeat against Australia, while centre Cudjoe was in head coach Wayne Bennett’s initial training squad.

Bennett was set to take a group of leading Super League players for a fortnight-long training camp in Dubai in early January.

However, former England boss Tony Smith was among a host of Super League club coaches to criticise the move, claiming it would disrupt their preparations for the start of the 2017 Betfred Super League season for little reward, and the RFL appears to have backed down.

However, McGillvary admitted to being disappointed by the change: “I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to going to camp and getting the core of the boys together to learn some new things.

“I’d have really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t to be.

“I don’t think a lot of the Super League coaches agreed with it. They didn’t want the core of their team going across when they needed them to train, which is understandable.

“It’s disappointing from our point of view, but you’ve got to consider the coaches and their point of view.

Valentine Holmes of Australia scores in the corner despite the efforts of Jermaine McGillvary of England during the Four Nations match between the England and Australian Kangaroos at Olympic Stadium on November 13, 2016 in London

“I bet if you asked the players, they’d have wished they could go, but obviously it won’t happen now.”

The announcement is sure to undermine the position of Bennett, who insisted the pre-season camp, along with a mid-year international in Sydney, were essential components to the build-up to the 2017 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Bennett and the England management, which includes former national captains Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock, had drawn up a 17-strong list of players for the trip, with clubs apparently offered £10,000 per player in compensation.

Bennett, who is halfway through a two-year contract, recently claimed to have the backing of the Super League coaches.

However, former Giants coach Smith, St Helens boss Keiron Cunningham and Hull coach Lee Radford all expressed their opposition.

“I totally disagree with the rationale behind it,” said former Giants coach Smith. “I don’t understand the idea whatsoever.”

Smith said he expressed his concerns to Bennett, who was thought to be intending to attend only part of the camp since it clashes with the preparations of his club Brisbane for the new NRL season.

The RFL insisted Bennett will remain in charge and that the England team are now focused on the mid-season Test in May, but the about-turn will be seen as major embarrassment to the RFL, who were keen to support Bennett.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood played down any talk of a club versus country row at an end-of-year media briefing.