Shaun Wane will announce his squad for this year’s Ashes in under a week’s time: and based on his recent comments, the England coach is almost locked in with what the make-up of his 24 will look like.
Wane told Love Rugby League last month that he had settled on ’18 or 19′ of his squad, with the business end of the season likely to shape the remaining spots.
So with that in mind, which players are guaranteed a spot? We’ve looked into our crystal ball and tried to predict the 18 players who Wane will have already made up his mind on..
Backs
England’s number one is a lock-in selection: Jack Welsby will be in the 24 and will be in the starting line-up without question. Whether Wane commits to a second-choice fullback or goes with more of a utility option remains to be seen but it’s hard to think of any fullback other than Welsby that can be considered a guaranteed pick as things stand.
In the outside backs, there are plenty of options on the wings. But Liam Marshall, Dom Young and Tom Johnstone all have runs on the board with Wane and at international level. Marshall is likely to be the chief beneficiary of Matty Ashton’s unavailability.
At centre, Herbie Farnworth is clearly in as he is arguably the best centre in the game. Super League’s best centre, Jake Wardle, also surely has to be considered a certainty at this stage. What that means for Harry Newman – a player Wane likes – remains unclear, but we don’t have him as a lock-in at the moment.
Then into the halves – where it seems inevitable Wane will pick two from George Williams, Mikey Lewis and Harry Smith. Lewis could yet operated from the bench if it is Smith who partners the captain. All three will definitely be in the 24 given what they’ve done both at club level and in an England shirt for Wane.
Forwards
Starting at the base of the pack, it will almost certainly be Morgan Knowles who gets the 13 shirt in the absence of Victor Radley. Knowles would have been in the 24 anyway, Wane recently confirmed, which assures him of a spot. He’s in.
As is his St Helens team-mate Matty Lees, who has been one of the standout forwards in Super League throughout 2025. Wane has also spoke in a complimentary manner about Alex Walmsley, but there is immense competition in the pack so for now, that one is a maybe.
You can, however, draw a pretty firm line under Luke Thompson’s inclusion given his experience at the highest level. Another player who has significant experience in an England shirt and is popular with Wane is Mike McMeeken. The Wakefield captain has been magnificent in 2025 too and if we’re picking on form, he’s in.
Hooker is a difficult one. Wane will likely want two in his squad, though Lewis wearing the 14 shirt is a possibility. The one we’re leaning towards as a certainty right now? St Helens’ Daryl Clark, who had the shirt in 2024 against Samoa. But there are the likes of Jez Litten – arguably the form nine in the competition – Brad O’Neill and Danny Walker. They all can’t make the cut.
Wane’s frank admission that John Bateman has ‘credit in the bank’ with him over the weekend means he is another player you can be sure is going to be involved, if not start. Then, we think Canberra duo Matty Nicholson and Morgan Smithies, both very impressive in the NRL this year, are also likely to be named.
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