Shaun Wane’s England squad depth assessed with one glaring concern ahead of Ashes

Shaun Wane has named a train-on England squad made up of Super League players as he steps up his preparations for this autumn’s Ashes Test series.

England take on Australia three times through October and November and they know they’ll be tested to their very limits by a Kangaroos side that can be considered the best international rugby league has to offer. As such, Wane will meet up with his Super League based players this week in Manchester, with 32 players given the nod.

Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Leeds Rhinos players make up the lion’s share of the squad but Warrington Wolves have five included, Hull KR four and Leigh Leopards and Wakefield Trinity have two each. That means five teams are not represented at all in the group.

Of course, Wane will be able to include a raft of players from Down Under when he eventually names his final squad, with several Super League men set to be cut from the group.

But, following today’s announcement, we assess the depth within Wane’s England group.

Full-backs: Jack Welsby (St Helens)

The number one spot has to be an area of concern. Seemingly, Wane believes just one full-back in Super League is worthy of being included in his side and he’s currently out with a long-term injury.

The expectation is that Welsby will be fit, but there’s no guarantee and he’ll have missed a lot of rugby in the build-up for certain. Harry Robertson is able to provide cover but given he’s played at centre all year that’s hardly ideal.

It might point to a chance for AJ Brimson come autumn, but it has to be said, the lack of depth makes Jake Connor’s omission look strange to say the least. Connor’s personality is believed to be one of the key reasons behind Wane’s refusal to pick him, but his performances, albeit in the halves at Leeds Rhinos, make him extremely hard to ignore.

Wingers: Matty Ashton (Warrington Wolves), Tom Johnstone (Wakefield Trinity), Liam Marshall (Wigan Warriors).

Just three wingers have been included, too, with Matty Ashton looking likely to miss the series altogether due to his knee injury. Tom Johnstone and Liam Marshall are both deserving, while Dom Young will also be included come autumn.

But, the decision to overlook Hull KR duo Tom Davies and Joe Burgess is controversial.

Centres: Ash Handley (Leeds Rhinos), Harry Newman (Leeds Rhinos), Harry Robertson (St Helens), Jake Wardle (Wigan Warriors).

Herbie Farnworth will clearly get one of the centre spots come the end of the season and Jake Wardle should claim the other, all being well. Robertson will take plenty from the experience of meeting up with England, too, and deserves to be in for that tackle on Ryan Hall last week alone.

Ash Handley is in after enjoying a fine season playing alongside Connor, while Harry Newman is picked despite his up and down form.

Halves: Mikey Lewis (Hull KR), Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors), George Williams (Warrington Wolves).

Wane has his mind made up on the half-back situation it seems, with Lewis, Williams and Smith the clear frontrunners. Injury to any of these three would be disastrous heading into the series.

Props: George Delaney (St Helens), Ethan Havard (Wigan Warriors), James Harrison (Warrington Wolves), Tom Holroyd (Leeds Rhinos), Matty Lees (St Helens), Mike McMeeken (Wakefield Trinity), Robbie Mulhern (Leigh Leopards), Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds Rhinos), Luke Thompson (Wigan Warriors), Owen Trout (Leigh Leopards).

Notably there’s no Alex Walmsley in this England squad but the likes of Matty Lees, Mike McMeeken and Luke Thompson provide senior heads with experiences of Test matches.

Holroyd and Delaney will take plenty from the experience of meeting up, too. Oledzki, Mulhern and Trout are among those to have enjoyed fine seasons and few would argue about their selections.

Hookers: Daryl Clark (St Helens), Jez Litten (Hull KR), Brad O’Neill (Wigan Warriors), Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves)

Wane has a lot of depth at hooker and it’s fair to say Clark and Litten have been the stand-outs over the course of the campaign. Danny Walker is included as he continues his injury recovery and will likely be included at the end of the season should make a positive return to action, while Brad O’Neill is likely the fourth choice man on this list at present.

Second-rowers: James Batchelor (Hull KR), Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos), James McDonnell (Leeds Rhinos), Junior Nsemba (Wigan Warriors).

There’s a number of back-rowers set to come in from the NRL such as Kai Pearce-Paul, Matty Nicholson and John Bateman and that might make it hard for McDonnell, Gannon and Batchelor to get a look in come the end of the season. They’re certainly worthy of their call up, though, particularly Batchelor, who has been outstanding at Craven Park for some time now.

Loose-forwards: Ben Currie (Warrington Wolves), Morgan Knowles (St Helens), Elliot Minchella (Hull KR).

Wane already knows plenty about Currie, Knowles and Minchella and he knows his selection at loose-forward will be tricky, particularly when you consider Morgan Smithies and Victor Radley look set to be included, too. He’ll be happy with his loose-forward options.

Shaun Wane names train-on England squad ahead of Ashes Tests with six new names included https://t.co/eckF77waMf

— Serious About Rugby League (@SeriousAboutRL) June 30, 2025