England and Great Britain icon Danny McGuire has insisted that he believes Mikey Lewis ‘has to play’ a pivotal role in this year’s Ashes: before admitting he was surprised to see Jake Connor left out of Shaun Wane’s squad.
Lewis has unsurprisingly been included in the 24-man group that will attempt to topple Australia over the next month, following a magnificent season for Hull KR as he helped them win an historic treble.
And McGuire, who worked with Lewis at Rovers and who the half-back regards as the player that inspired him to pick up a rugby ball, told the Leeds Rhinos podcast that in his eyes, there is no way Lewis cannot be in the 17.
“I think it’s going to be a hard series, I really do,” he said. “That’s just me being honest. Mikey Lewis has to play for me, I can’t see any other reason why he wouldn’t play.
“He’s got a point of difference, he’s got a bit of something that would scare the Aussies.”
However, McGuire also admitted that he was disappointed and shocked to see that Connor’s form throughout 2025 wasn’t recognised with a place in the squad.
Wane spoke passionately and clearly about the matter on Monday, insisting that he didn’t pay attention to individual honours like the Man of Steel, and that Connor’s absence was purely down to form.
But McGuire admitted he would have named Connor in his squad.
He said: “I’ve spoke highly of Jake a fair few times when I’ve been on Sky and I’m surprised he’s not in the mix. I think he offers you a bit of versatility as well and he can play in numerous positions.
“But again, Shaun Wane is a good coach and he’s got his own ideas and he sees people have got some runs on the board, and that’s fine. Everyone has got their own opinions and views on squads and if me and you picked a squad, ours would be different.”
And having returned to AMT Headingley in a new role with the club’s foundation last week, McGuire insisted he would be excited if the series were tied going into the decider in Leeds.
“Ideally if we can get it to 1-1 and get the Headingley crowd behind us on the last game then we give ourselves a chance,” he said.
