Zak Hardaker has been left out of England’s World Cup squad and provisionally suspended by the Rugby Football League after testing positive for cocaine.

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The 25-year-old, who was almost certain to be included in Wayne Bennett’s 24-man squad for the tournament this autumn, was initially left out of Castleford’s squad for the Super League Grand Final last week after what the Tigers described as a “breach of club rules”. It has now emerged that he tested positive for cocaine after Castleford’s Super 8s game against Leeds on 8 September, leaving his rugby league career in the balance.

Hardaker is the third Super League player to test positive for cocaine in the past three months. Rangi Chase tested positive for the drug after Widnes’s league game against Wakefield on 14 July and, along with Trinity’s Adam Walker, was suspended by his club a month later. Hardaker is now likely to receive a two-year ban from the sport, with this the latest indiscretion in a career blighted by controversy.

Undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his generation, Hardaker had produced arguably the best form of his career for Castleford this season after a £150,000 move from Leeds in January. But for the second consecutive occasion at a World Cup, off‑field misdemeanours have ended his chances of playing, following his removal from the England squad during the 2013 tournament after a disciplinary issue.

The player issued an apology on Monday via his club – who would not comment any further on the matter – and insisted he had no intention of enhancing his performance by taking a banned substance. He said: “I would like to apologise to my Castleford Tigers team-mates, the staff and all fans for my enormous error of judgment.

“I was given an opportunity by this great club and, in what has been one of the most important weeks in its history, I have let everyone at the club down. For that I truly apologise. Finally, I would like to make it clear that in no way did I, nor would I, ever take a substance with the intention of enhancing my performance.”

Castleford were informed by the RFL last Thursday that Hardaker would be unavailable for selection for the Grand Final, with the governing body confirming the suspension on Monday. “The Rugby Football League can confirm that Zak Hardaker is provisionally suspended from all competition after it received notification from UK Anti-Doping that he had tested positive for a banned substance following a Super 8s game between Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos on 8 September 2017.”

Quick guide Hardaker's highs and lows Show Hide Highs - Scored a hat-trick of tries on his debut in 2010 for his home-town club Featherstone against Hunslet. 2011 - Scored a try on his Super League debut in March 2011 in Leeds' home defeat by St Helens. 2012 - A tryscorer in Leeds' Grand Final win over St Helens in 2012, he was named Super League young player of the year and made his England debut. 2015 - Named Man of Steel, won a third Super League ring at Old Trafford and played full-back in the Test series against New Zealand. Lows - Thrown out of the England camp during the 2013 World Cup as a disciplinary measure and warned by his club for a breach of their code of conduct. 2014 - Handed a five-match ban for homophobic abuse towards a referee during a match against Warrington. 2015 - After being the subject of a police investigation into an assault in the city, he was fined a month's wages by Leeds and sent on an anger-management course. 2017 - Dropped by Castleford 48 hours before the club's maiden Grand Final and then provisionally suspended by the Rugby Football League.

Without Hardaker, England will travel to Australia on Thursday for the World Cup with a squad that includes two uncapped players. The Warrington forward Ben Currie, who played for Ireland in the 2013 World Cup, is included, as is Alex Walmsley of St Helens.

The 2017 Man of Steel, Luke Gale, is one of two Castleford players selected along with his team-mate Mike McMeeken while the champions, Leeds, also have two call-ups in Kallum Watkins and Ryan Hall. Hardaker’s exclusion and impending suspension means the full-back role will be fought for between Warrington’s Stefan Ratchford and Jonny Lomax of St Helens, with Sam Tomkins overlooked.

There are six players selected from the NRL, including the 2016 captain Sam Burgess along with his younger brother, Thomas. Thomas’s twin, George, has been left out. Wigan’s Sean O’Loughlin will lead the side, whose tournament begins on 27 October against Australia in Melbourne before further group games against Lebanon and France.

“Selecting the final 24 with the help of my coaching staff was tough and that was down to the effort and performances of many players throughout the season,” Bennett said. “The England programme has been very active leading into this tournament and having the squad meet up on regular occasions on and off the field has put us in a positive place before everyone gets into camp.

“We had to put the disappointment of the Four Nations behind us quickly and the meetings that followed that tournament set out what was required to be successful in the World Cup. Everyone has fully bought into this and we can’t wait to get started.”

The England women’s side have also named their squad for their World Cup this autumn. Players from four clubs are represented, with the Women’s Super League Grand Final champions Bradford Bulls represented by 10 players. Featherstone’s Andrea Dobson will captain the side in her fourth World Cup.

England’s 24-man World Cup squad

John Bateman (Wigan), Kevin Brown (Warrington), Sam Burgess, Thomas Burgess (both South Sydney), Ben Currie (Warrington), Luke Gale (Castleford), James Graham (St George), Ryan Hall (Leeds), Chris Heighington (Cronulla), Chris Hill (Warrington), Josh Hodgson (Canberra), Jonny Lomax (St Helens), Jermaine McGillvary (Huddersfield), Mike McMeeken (Castleford), Sean O’Loughlin (Wigan, captain), Mark Percival (St Helens), Stefan Ratchford (Warrington), James Roby (St Helens), Scott Taylor (Hull FC), Alex Walmsley (St Helens), Kallum Watkins (Leeds), Elliott Whitehead (Canberra), Gareth Widdop (St George), George Williams (Wigan).