England v Australia predictions as journalists have their say on first Ashes Test at Wembley

The first Test between England and Australia is finally here and we could not be more excited. It’s been 22 years since the Kangaroos’ last Test series in England and there’s a huge appetite to see them over here once more.

Ticket sales have flown, with the first Test at Wembley the only one that isn’t considered a sell out. Around 60,000 fans will pile into the national stadium this afternoon, though, with the lower bowl completely sold out, before the series heads to Everton and Headingley.

Shaun Wane’s side haven’t been given a chance of claiming a series win, with the Kangaroos the overwhelming favourites with the bookmakers, pundits and pretty much everyone else. But, you never know…

Here, Serious About RL writers make their predictions for the first Test.

Will Jackson

For the good of the game, England need to at least compete against Australia over the next few weeks and, for what it’s worth, I think they will. I firmly believe this first Test will be England’s best chance of providing a shock, too.

Australia will know what to expect in terms of English passion and pride both on the field and in the Wembley stands, Kevin Walters will have made sure of that. Whether they’ll be on their toes and ready for what’s coming at them, though, remains to be seen.

In order to do anything at all, England need to come out all guns blazing, start fast and take the game to Australia. That means dominating field position, asking questions of their defensive line and most importantly of all, applying some early scoreboard pressure.

Do that and England will be able to progress through the remainder of the series safe in the knowledge that they can compete against the Aussies. They’ll have made the tourists stand up and take notice, too.

However, it’s how England manage to follow up that period that will ultimately decide the game. That’s where Wane’s changes come in, with the head coach needing to act effectively in a bid to limit any drop off.

Australia have the star power, creativity, speed and explosiveness to score points from anywhere on the park and they will have lengthy periods of dominance at Wembley. England will concede points during those spells, there is absolutely no doubt about that and in order to shock, they cannot afford to let their heads drop during those spells.

Having said all that, I’m still backing the quality the shine through and propel Australia to a narrow victory in the first Test.

Score prediction: England 18-20 Australia.

Sam Brocksom

The England fan in me wants to say that we can kick the series off with a bang and turn the Aussies over in the first Test, before going on to the second and third games beaming with confidence. However, realistically I don’t think it will pan out like that. 

England need to be at their best right from the off and that all starts with the pack. The forwards need to take some influence from the English greats before them and really get stuck in to Australia. Now, I’m not saying go full Adrian Morley in 2003, but many Down Under are thinking it will be a walkover, and putting an early marker down will go a long way in proving that opinion wrong. 

Whilst is it unlikely for England to win, Wembley is their best chance of sneaking a victory. Most of the English players taking the field have played there before, and know what it means to play at such a venue. If we can catch Australia lacking, be that a defensive mishap or a loose pass that is intercepted, we may have a chance to claim the first Test. 

The way that Wane utilises his hooker will also have an influence. Jez Litten should be the starter, but a more cautious approach would be to use Clark and Litten from the bench. AJ Brimson is another option, and he could be the man to bring that spark and potentially change them game in England’s favour. 

I do think England will be in the game until the end, and that we will compete for the majority. However, the physicality of international rugby is more comparable to the NRL rather than Super League, and the Kangaroos, I believe, will just have that extra bit of gas left in the tank and will score late on to end England’s hopes of winning the first Test. 

Score prediction: England 12-22 Australia