England head coach Shaun Wane has insisted he is motivated by people suggesting his side have no chance in this year’s Ashes – before hitting out at Sky Sports’ Jon Wilkin for a previous suggestion they were ‘overhyped’ in the World Cup three years ago.
Wilkin caused a stir in the wake of England’s defeat to Samoa in the semi-finals of the tournament in 2022, after he suggested they were too pumped up by external noise, and that it ultimately backfired after they were beaten in heartbreaking fashion.
But ahead of this Saturday’s opening Test of the Ashes at Wembley, Wane was again asked about motivations and whether his team will be ready for the occasion.
He insisted they will be, citing Wilkin as ‘talking rubbish’ for what he said three years ago and that England will be much better prepared for a game of such magnitude this weekend.
“He was talking rubbish,” Wane said. “I thought we were underhyped. Our D wasn’t good enough – that wasn’t an overhyped team. We weren’t giving penalties away and we weren’t physical in contact. He totally got the wrong end of the stick there.
“We’ll be hyped this weekend but we need to be smart. Australia want help to get out of their end with penalties so we need to be squeaky clean and make sure our discipline is good. I want physicality but with discipline.
“They’re going to be physical with us and we’ll be physical with them. It’s going to be a smash-up and the best team will come out in the end. I hope it’s us.”
Wane also admitted that he felt nobody had given them a chance in the last two end-of-season series against both Samoa and Tonga – both of which England won.
And that criticism and lack of belief in his side is what drives him to the possibility of more success this autumn.
“Nobody gave us a chance against Samoa and Tonga, which is good. I like that position,” he said. “It would be good to stick it to the doubters. I’m not on social media but I know a lot of stuff has been said.
“It feels like a club the way we’re training. It feels like a Super League team. That’s hard to get that club feeling in the international set-up.
