England head coach Shaun Wane says he “feels in his heart” that dropping full-back Jack Welsby is the correct call ahead of his side’s must-win second Ashes Test against Australia.
England suffered a dismal 26-6 defeat to the Kangaroos in the opener of the three-match series, the occasion at Wembley getting the better of Wane’s side, particularly in the second half.
It means they head to Everton’s new home needing to win to keep the series alive and take it all the way to Leeds’ Headingley Stadium on November 8, a target they will be hoping to fulfil given this is the first time the series has been played since 2003.
Wane has made a number of changes to his 19-man squad, with Harry Smith looking set to come in at the halves, dropping Mikey Lewis to the bench. Jez Litten looks certain to start at hooker, which sees Daryl Clark out of the side. Meanwhile, Morgan Smithies replaces Ethan Havard and John Bateman drops out of the squad with an ankle injury, with Leeds’ Kallum Watkins coming in.
The headline news, though, is that Wane has gone with the tough call to bring in NRL star AJ Brimson in place of Welsby – a player who the head coach has trusted for so long, including handing him the captaincy in a series against Tonga.
Jack Welsby has been lining up as opposition in England’s training sessions
Welsby admittedly had a poor performance at Wembley, his defensive work coming under scrutiny for an Angus Crichton try.
Now, Wane has gone with his “gut feeling” to make the big change.
“I’m a big Jack Welsby fan, I think he’s a fantastic player, I’ve always picked him, but I felt in my heart it was the right thing to do,” Wane said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
England’s Team Manager Sam Tomkins admits stopping Australia’s Reece Walsh is ‘easier said than done’ ahead of the second Ashes Test on November 1
“The way AJ has trained and what he brings to the team has been outstanding, so I’m excited to see it.
“I explained to the players before we started, this is going to be an effort for 24 people and we’re going to have good days and bad days, just buy into it. And that’s what Jack’s done.
“AJ has got speed, he’s got great skill, but Jack’s got great skill, it’s just a gut feeling from a head coach. I have to make them calls and I think it’s the right time for us this week to have a fresh face.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Megan Wellens wraps up an intense first Ashes Test game at Wembley between England and Australia
“Jack can perform better than that (on Saturday), he’d be the first person to admit that. His standards are very high and he’s a little bit below them, but he’s never done that before for me.
“He’s an outstanding athlete, but that’s my call and I think we’re better with AJ. As you’d expect, he’s a professional, he’s very, very, very disappointed. I’d be upset if he wasn’t, but they all want to play in every Test. They’re very competitive people, these athletes, and Jack’s no different.”
Wane went onto explain more of his key decisions, admitting that Havard has been dropped due to the coach “not seeing enough” from him at Wembley, with Smith coming back in order to bring some control.
“I just didn’t get enough of what I thought I needed from Ethan, so that’s another one,” he added.
“It’s a gut feeling, we’ve got 24 people in the squad and I’m trying to use everybody that’s going to give us the best shot.
“(With Harry in) we will have a bit more focus and a bit more direction on how we finish and where we start our defensive sets, which we didn’t have control of at Wembley. Hopefully this Saturday is a bit different.”
Wilkin: Australia should be embarrassed with anything less than 3-0
While England will be optimistic of improving, Sky Sports Rugby League’s Jon Wilkin believes anything less than a 3-0 whitewash for Australia is “embarrassing” for the visitors given the different states of the game in the two countries.
Indeed, in Australia, rugby league players are akin to England’s Premier League footballing stars.
“It is the number one sport in Australia. The commercial side of the game is 10 times more successful than it is in this country. 10 times the amount of people play it.
“I think it’s an embarrassment if Australia don’t beat us 3-0. I think they should be embarrassed if they don’t come here and whack us three times.
“If they’re not back on the flight back to Australia 3-0 having comfortably beat us in all three games, I think it’s embarrassing on them. I think it reflects worse on them than it does on us.
“The state of the game in this country is exactly where it’s been. It’s bound by history, the inertia of history and geography as well. We’ve been stuck in the north.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Australia’s Nathan Cleary reacts to their 1-0 lead in the Rugby League Ashes series against England
“I think it’s not comparing apples with apples. It’s very likely to be 3-0.
“As a patriotic Englishman, should I say, I don’t want to see that. I want Shaun Wane’s men to get it done at the Hill Dickinson.
“But that being said, I’ve got to be realistic. It’s going to be an incredibly difficult task.
“Yes, we hope that we don’t have to wait another 22 years to see Australia on British soil.
“There will certainly be a better performance from England, without a doubt.
“In a stadium like this, in the north of England, in our heartlands, I think everything is pointing towards a great England performance. Now, whether that can get us a win or not, not sure.”
Rugby League Ashes 2025
First Test: England 6-26 Australia
Second Test: Saturday November 1, Everton Stadium, Liverpool
Third Test: Saturday November 8, Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
