Warrington Wolves half George Williams shuts down talk of NRL move as Ashes focus underlined

Warrington Wolves and England captain George Williams has made it very clear his focus is entirely on the Ashes amid questions over a reported NRL move.

Williams is expected to sign with the Dolphins for the 2027 season when his contract at Warrington Wolves runs out. There had been talk of an early release with Williams heading to the NRL for the 2026 season, however, Wire seemingly couldn’t find a replacement and any notion of an early move was pulled from the table.

Despite that, the deal is ‘agreed’ for 2027 per reports and when attending the Wembley press conference for this weekend’s upcoming Ashes Test, Williams was asked if he had ‘unfinished business’ in the NRL and if this Ashes series was a chance to ‘show Dolphins fans what they’re going to see’.

Williams laughed as he responded: “Potentially but that’s not signed, sealed, delivered yet. I’m still focused on the Ashes and we’ll come to that after this.”

The England captain is one of the few in the squad who has played in the NRL, playing for Canberra before returning and signing with Warrington Wolves midway through the 2021 season.

England backed to beat Australia by captain Williams

Williams is also one of the only players in the England squad to have actually played Australia and despite it being almost 10 years ago, it still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I played against them in 2016 at the West Ham Stadium, I was only 21 and I played off the bench,” he explained.

“We got beat that day so that’s the thing that sticks in me memory so hopefully we can change that this time around.”

On whether his side can avenge that lost and start the Ashes off with a win, the 30-year-old said: “I think the group is ready to be honest. Like Waney said, we’ve beat Tonga, we’ve beat Samoa and now it’s time to play the Aussies.”

As for the significance of the Ashes, an event that hasn’t been held in 22 years, Williams was under no illusions of how important it was to represent his country with pride.

“It’s special, I remember watching them as a kid so it’s not happened for a long long time.

“As an Englishman, to be playing against the best in the world in your own country with all your family and friends is the pinnacle and something that we’re not taking for granted. It’s unbelievable.”

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