Rugby League Ashes: Wane inviting pressure on England ahead of Wembley opener

England head coach Shaun Wane can’t wait for his dream to be realised on Saturday when his side take on Australia in the first Rugby League Ashes Test at Wembley.

The three-match series, beginning under the famous arch of the national stadium, is the first of its kind since the 2003 iteration which was won 3-0 by the Kangaroos.

And Wane has told The Last Tackle, The Sportsman Rugby League’s weekly YouTube show, that this is an event that he has been anticipating since the moment he was appointed almost six years ago.

“I took the job in 2020 and first up was the Ashes against Australia, but then it got cancelled because of Covid unfortunately. So I’ve been waiting for this to happen and it’s a dream for me,” he explains.

“We lost 3-0 in 2003, and that hurts. It’s 50-odd years since we’ve won it and there’s pressure on us to perform. We want to put things right and make sure that Australia see the best of us.”

The series has already caught the nation’s imagination, with sell-outs announced for the second and third matches, and an Ashes record attendance on UK soil set to be at Wembley on Saturday.

Speaking at the London venue, Wane adds: “There’s going to be 60-odd thousand here, Everton’s full, Headingley’s full. It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic atmosphere, and I just want my players to perform at their best and then we’ve got a chance of winning.”

Wane says he couldn’t be happier with the way his squad has been preparing, explaining they’ve managed to build a tight-knit environment despite differing club loyalties.

“The lads have been very slick, the skill’s been good. Every session we’ve pulled it short because they’re that intense. But the spirit’s really good, it’s like a club team, which is really hard to do at international level. I’m really pleased with where we’re at.

“A few players have said to me that they don’t know how it’s happened. There’s no cliques, there’s no St Helens and Leeds and Wigan and Warrington, it’s just everybody sat together and we’re all fighting for the same cause in trying to beat Australia this weekend.”

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Wane has named a 19-man squad for the first Test, leaving out Harry Smith and Morgan Smithies in the key decisions. That means Mikey Lewis is in line to partner captain George Williams in the halves.

And the England boss says his team are expecting big things from each other as they fight for their country in their biggest challenge for over two decades.

“We’re putting pressure on ourselves, we’re a proud nation. There’s a lot of people backing us to do really well, no more so than Betfred, who are a fantastic partner to us. So we want to repay that loyalty we’ve been shown and make English people really proud.”

The first Test gets underway at 14:30 BST on Saturday, with the subsequent two matches taking place on November 1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool and then AMT Headingley in Leeds on November 8.

All the latest reaction to each game will be available throughout the series on The Sportsman Rugby League

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