Hull KR star puts himself in Ashes frame amid pundit’s ‘international’ claim

With Hull KR sitting atop Super League after ten rounds, one of their stars has been cited for his growth to that of an ‘international player’.

The Robins went about a relatively routine win at Magic Weekend as they ran in nine tries against Salford Red Devils, despite not being at their best.

That was something that Man of the Match Jez Litten admitted with the hooker bagging a brace of tries in the 54-0 win.

Speaking post-match on Sky Sports, Litten admitted: “It was frustrating. We knew we could score tries and put points on the board but we started to go away from our game plan. We made a few errors but when we stuck to the game plan, we got our moments and we got our tries.”

Full-back Arthur Mourgue converted all nine whilst also bagging two himself but it was Litten’s performance and his general development in 2025 that was the focus of the post-match analysis.

With an Ashes series on the horizon, Litten will be banging on the door to earn a second England cap and Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin can see why.

Could Hull KR man earn himself an Ashes call-up?

Speaking on how the 27-year-old has fared in 2025, Wilkin stated: “His contribution this year has been outstanding in many ways, not just for what he’s done in his orthodox position at hooker, but when he stepped in at scrum-half in the Good Friday game against Hull FC.

“His versatility, his collaboration with his teammates, his adaptability, and I think his attitude and his toughness defensively are what’s seen him grow into an international player.”

As referenced, Litten does have one international cap but that came in 2023 and he was not called up to the squad for the 2024 series against Samoa with Shaun Wane opting for Danny Walker and Daryl Clark as his nines.

With Walker set for an extended period on the sidelines and Clark not shining in a struggling Saints side, Litten could find himself well in contention and Wilkin believes the addition of Micky McIlorum has aided that.

On Litten’s 2025, he said: “He’s flourished, I think Mickey Mac has helped him because I think he just would teach Jez a different way of playing the position.

“Matt Parcell and Jez Litten ultimately played a very similar role. Mickey Mac’s such a contrast to him, I think it’s been a fantastic acquisition getting him in and working alongside Jez Litten.”

Fellow pundit Jamie Jones-Buchanan was another to praise Litten, labelling he and Mikey Lewis as the “dynamic duo” at Hull KR.

The ex-Leeds man said: “There was a bit of chat about teammates in there and I referenced Mikey Lewis as a superhero and every superhero needs a dynamic duo. Up steps Jez Litten and the way that he’s grown this year has been phenomenal.”

Leyland 🤝 Litten#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/AGfZpqnMgf

— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) May 6, 2025