Shaun Wane was more than content with the way he used Mikey Lewis during the second Test between England and Australia on Saturday.
Lewis started the first Test at Wembley but he was named on the bench this weekend, with Wigan Warriors’ Harry Smith coming into the side and getting the nod at scrum-half while skipper George Williams started at six.
As such, Lewis had to make do with just 10 minutes of game time on Saturday with the Hull KR man stepping into the fray to replace Jez Litten at hooker late in the action. While he did have a couple of bright moments in the contest, with his pace and strike with the ball in hand on show, his impact was limited as England lost 14-4 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The decision to leave Lewis unused for so long has been questioned by supporters and after the game, Wane moved to explain his thought process.
Shaun Wane on Mikey Lewis role
“That’s enough for Mikey to make an impact,” Wane said. “We had it all set up beforehand about what minute he was going to go on and he covers us in quite a few positions but I’m happy with what we did there.”
The decision to move Lewis out of the halves and onto the bench was one of a number of changes made by Wane for the second Test with AJ Brimson starting over Jack Welsby at full-back and Kallum Watkins playing in the back-row while both Mikolaj Oledzki and Morgan Smithies got game time off the bench.
Hull KR star Jez Litten was another to step into the starting line-up, with Daryl Clark dropped, and the hooker was one of those praised by Wane after the game.
“I thought Mike McMeeken was good,” Wane said. “Mik Oledzki did well when he came on, Jez Litten started the game for us and I thought he was very good. I was happy with a lot of the things we did, it’s just that first 10 minutes (after the break) and the switch off. It made it quite easy for them.
Asked specifically about the performance of Brimson on his England debut, Wane added: “I think he can do more.
“He did some good things but not enough, I want him to get more involvements but he’s a great kid and a great player in a system that he’s not used to. He did some good things but I need more.”
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Eric T Cat
November 2, 2025 at 1:24 pm
He is out of his depth, not picking the best players, playing his best players out of position, playing a style of rugby from before 2020, this insistence of picking favourites, and his insistence George Williams is guaranteed a place. Then going out and picking Kallum Watkins, Alex Walmsley, why not see if Ellery Hanley and Martin Offiah fancy a run out, mind you, I bet Ellery still has it!
I’ve a horrid feeling that the RFL will decide to stick with Wane after next weeks match. Give Paul Wellenscthe job to get us through the World Cup, and look to find someone in Australia as his assistant who can keep an eye on NRL based players, even organise get togethers, training camps of possible.
William friar
November 2, 2025 at 4:21 pm
For the third match we need an overhaul to the squad. the forwards are too slow and make no impact.our best players in the super league are only second class compared to the aussies who show more aggression speed and fitness. needs to get the team to play like the aussies, instead of boring three sets down middle by forwards then pass the ball out and run it.