The changes Shaun Wane needs to make as England blown away in opening Rugby League Ashes Test

England find themselves 1-0 down in the first Rugby League Ashes series in over 20 years, having being beaten convincingly at Wembley.

Reece Walsh’s try double and a second-half brace for Angus Crichton was enough for the Kangaroos to earn the first victory of the series, with Daryl Clark darting over for a consolation score in the final minutes of the game.

Shaun Wane’s pack were dominated, with none of the enforcers managing to match the Aussie strength. The halves were quiet, but had little platform to work off, and for the most part the edge players did well – carrying well out of back field.

The first half saw England have chances, including two two-on-one chances where star full-back Reece Walsh was able to make the intercept. Tom Johnstone’s kick following his line break also went too long, and ended up going dead before his teammates could convert.

If the home nation are going to get anything out of this series, changes need to be made and risks need to be taken. There is only so far that ‘credit in the bank’ can be used as a reason to pick underperforming players, and Wane will need to be brutal in his team selection next week.

There were seven players that were named in the extended squad that didn’t get chance to play, and some of those can certainly make some improvement at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

Three changes that Shaun Wane must make following England’s Rugby League Ashes defeat

AJ Brimson for Jack Welsby

The St Helens full-back is the only player to feature in every match for England since the 2022 World Cup, but it’s fair to say he had a shocker against the Aussies.

Not only was his defensive effort for Crichton’s first try mind-boggling, but he was caught in possession too often and couldn’t provide the sort of threat he has shown he can in a Saints jersey.

AJ Brimson, who was selected at 18th man at Wembley, should be the one to replace him for the next Test, and has earned his England debut after switching allegiance due to his heritage.

Welsby ran for 67 metres across 13 carries, compare that to his opposite number, Walsh, and he ran for 243 metres across 16 carries. Bringing in Brimson, whilst he hasn’t played for England before, would give a different threat that Welsby failed to pose.

Morgan Smithies for Ethan Havard

The Canberra Raiders forward has been brilliant for the NRL’s Minor Premiership winners, and has mostly been utilised off the bench.

We saw the England pack fail to make any impact in the game at all, with England’s starting props, Ethan Havard and Matty Lees, making 73 metres combined.

Bringing in Smithies, who has proven he can compete with the NRL’s best forwards, needs to be a change that has to happen, and one way to do that would be to drop Havard, start McMeeken and let the former Wigan man attack a worn-out Kangaroos pack as an interchange.

Harry Smith for Daryl Clark

England also lack a competent kicking game, and failed to test the Kangaroos back three from the boot. Bringing in Harry Smith, a true half-back that has the ability to control and manage the game, would help them create more momentum and in turn would give them more chances to create.

Whilst Clark may have scored the final try, it was very clear that Jez Litten was the better of the two hookers. His 40/20 in the first half gave England an attacking chance, and in the little chances they did have, Litten was a part of it.

It was an option before the first Test, and bringing in Smith would mean that Mikey Lewis would play the ’14’ role, and could cover any of the spine positions when he enters the fray. With Litten starting, it would mean that Clark drops out.

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