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sean wayne It was five years since a British team last defeated Australia in rugby league. ashwhich reflects the size of the task facing him England Side wembley Saturday as they begin their arduous quest to heal an almost lifelong injury.
The head coach has talked all week about the danger of underestimating his England team, but the statistics are crystal clear: the last time they – then Great Britain – won the famous trophy was in 1970 with a 28–7 victory in the decisive third match in Sydney, thanks to Roger Millward’s match-winning try.
Hopes of regaining a first Ashes have been hampered by everything from false promises to the pandemic, but the lack of opportunity and the spirit of victory are perhaps why Wayne’s class of ’25 will regard success – first at Wembley, then at Everton and Leeds in the coming fortnight – as the pinnacle of their careers.
“As a child, I dreamed of playing games like this,” the captain said. george williamsThe Warrington half-back has won two Super League Grand Finals, a World Club Challenge and a Challenge Cup title, but it is clear where his history-making moment will be against the Australians.
Williams said: “I’ve been lucky enough to win grand finals, but this feels like something even more special. If we can win this Ashes series, it would 100 per cent top my grand final wins. It would be a great step up and give us a lot of confidence to go on and win the World Cup.”
Australia last bowed out to a British team in 2006 and heading to Wembley as double defending world champions, head coach Kevin Walters has selected players from the dominant NRL, a league that is outpacing the Super League on every imaginable measure.
But consecutive series wins over Tonga and Samoa over the past two autumns have kept Wayne’s men in check, and after a Super League season that has highlighted the dominance of new stars, not least Williams’ potential half-back partner Mickey Lewis, he is bullish about England’s chances of success.
“They have the title of best team in the world and that’s fair given what they’ve done over a long period of time, but we’re moving forward,” Williams said.
“People quickly forget what we’ve done over the last few years. When we played Samoa a lot of people were talking about them and we beat them. A lot of people were saying we couldn’t beat Tonga and we beat them.
“Don’t get me wrong, we know how good Australia is. It’s a better competition than Super League if we’re honest, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have enough players to match them. They’re people just like us and this group is ready.”
Lewis will be carrying a lot of responsibility having led Hull KR to their historic domestic treble last season, much of it built in the shadow of Craven Park’s main stand, named after the architect of the 1970 triumph who made almost 400 career appearances for his beloved Rovers.
Lewis is likely to get the chance to write his name in the history of both Hull KR and England with a starting berth after preference was given to Wigan’s Harry Smith, who has started every game since the 2022 World Cup under Wayne but who was one of five players left out of his final 19-man squad on Thursday.
“Mickey’s had a great year,” Williams said. “He’s brilliant. He’s brought some unpredictability and his kicking game has grown a lot over the last few years. He’ll be full of confidence – winning a grand final makes you feel 10 feet taller. Hopefully on Saturday he’ll be 12 feet.”