Great Britain icon and rugby league pundit, Brian Carney, has once again ripped into the attitudes and efforts of the England team, following on from their Ashes Test, and series, defeat to Australia.
Shaun Wane’s men lost 14-4 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Everton, as two penalty goals from Harry Smith made up the home nation’s only points of the afternoon.
George Williams partnered Smith in the halves, leaving Hull KR’s Mikey Lewis on the bench, something that Carney can’t understand, with Wane’s reasoning post-match not making the choice any clearer.
In a column published on Sky Sports, where Carney now plies his trade as the lead presenter on rugby league broadcasts, he started by giving his verdict on the weekend’s proceedings.
Questioning the attacking flair of the English side, he said: “England’s campaign has been defined not by bad luck, not by brave defeats, but by a couple of damp squibs that leave more questions than answers.
“You can talk about effort, heart, and “building towards something” but eventually you must score tries. And across 160 minutes of Ashes rugby league, England have produced precisely one: a Daryl Clark barge-over from dummy half at Wembley when the outcome was already decided.”
Mikey Lewis selection decision leaves Great Britain icon puzzled as England lose Ashes series
Like many English fans, the Irish and ex-Great Britain winger was left perplexed by Wane’s use of half-back Lewis, with both Williams and Smith failing to pose any sort of threat on the Australia line. The Hull KR man entered the fray with just over 10 minutes to go, and was used at hooker in place of club teammate Jez Litten.
He said: “I don’t know where to start on giving Mikey Lewis 11 minutes.”
Quoting Wane’s answer when asked about the selection choice, in which the England boss said that the decision of when and where to use Lewis was already made and they didn’t want to change, he admitted the response left him even more confused.
“Got it? Nope, me neither,” said Carney.
Now, the focus turns to the third Test at Headingley, and England need to do all they can to avoid a clean sweep of defeats. The Kangaroos, meanwhile, their work is done, and are expected to make plenty of changes to give the rest of their travelling squad a chance to play, now that they know their job is complete.
“England will be determined to win their first game against Australia since 1995,” said Carney. “The Australians will reward their squad players for being here, blood some new faces, and play with the carefree energy of a side whose work is already done.
“There really can be no excuse for England under performance this time.”
With an improved atmosphere at Everton compared to Wembley, Headingley was set to produce that hostile atmosphere that is common in British rugby league. England wanted to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the Australians, when in reality, it won’t matter given there is nothing but personal pride left to play for.
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Andy Mann
November 4, 2025 at 6:58 pm
Smith did not fail as stated by Mr Know it all Brian Carney, only Williams
Philip Hartley
November 5, 2025 at 11:28 am
Let’s face it, Wayne selection from the start was off.
Choosing player’s who hadn’t had the best season. Despite, Wayne claims that the squad would be picked on form. From leaving the man of steel out of the squad, my theory is, Wayne has some beef there. Selecting player’s who are Let’s face it not likely to be playing again for England due to there age.
Peter Rounding
November 10, 2025 at 4:43 pm
Munster said it all re the Leeds test. He was honest about the continuous good luck Australia enjoyed – bounce of ball etc. And that this made the final score a very unfair reflection on England’s performance. Giving our players some fair credit, though he only mentioned one by name – “ l thought Mikey Lewis was really good!“Considering one of the RL internet channels gave him only 3 out of 10 that’s a bit perplexing! Though I’m not personally confused about which statement is to be trusted.