England name 19-man squad for second Ashes Test with three changes and huge Jack Welsby call made
England head coach Shaun Wane has named his wider 19-man squad for Test Two of the Ashes, with three changes made for the clash in Liverpool.
Wane’s side head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in must-win territory if they want to keep the series alive, following their 26-6 defeat at Wembley last time out.
His changes also come amid a brutal reflection of that defeat in the Capital, where he claimed his side didn’t make it a ‘real Test match’.
Shaun Wane makes three changes to England squad
The headline change in this side comes in the form of full-back Jack Welsby, who misses out on the squad entirely despite Wane hinting he could keep his spot in the team earlier this week. His omission also now opens the door for Gold Coast Titans man AJ Brimson to make his debut at full-back, with the Australian-native keeping his place in the initial squad.
Wigan Warriors’ Harry Smith also comes into the wider 19-man group in place of the St Helens man.
Elsewhere, back-row John Bateman and Ethan Havard also drop out of the 19-man squad altogether despite starting last weekend at Wembley, with Leeds Rhinos man Kallum Watkins and Canberra Raiders star Morgan Smithies replacing them in the side. It has since been confirmed that Bateman misses out due to illness.
Commenting on his squad, Wane said: “I needed to make some changes to the side that lost last week at Wembley and I have done that.
“The beauty of having such a strong squad is that we are bringing some really talented players into the side ahead of this weekend’s game, but the fact remains we simply need to be better this time around.
“I want us to show the very best of us, play at the level I know we can and ultimately level this Ashes Series.
“We are heading to a sold-out Hill Dickinson Stadium at Everton and I have no doubt the English supporters will get behind the team and be that 18th man for us on Saturday afternoon.”
England squad for second Ashes Test in full
AJ Brimson, Daryl Clark, Herbie Farnworth, Tom Johnstone, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees, Mikey Lewis, Jez Litten, Mike McMeeken, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kai Pearce-Paul, Harry Smith, Morgan Smithies, Owen Trout, Alex Walmsley, Jake Wardle, Kallum Watkins, George Williams, Dom Young.
THURSDAY’S READS ON LRL
?? Shaun Wane’s brutally honest assessment of opening Ashes defeat as loss dissected
?? England star played at Wembley with horrific facial injury as shock surgery revealed
?? Jake Wardle’s bold Ashes statement as passionate vow made ahead of second Test
?? The 105 Super League players set to hit open market for 2027 as November 1 deadline nears
