Ashes Review #1 - Where do we go from here?
We have waited 22 years for an Ashes test between Australia and England but anticipation soon gave way to reality. England were taught a lesson in how to play Rugby League by a side who appeared far superior in every facet.
A defeat so emphatic in its nature means that the first question to ask is not whether England can turn a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 series win, but whether England will be able to compete in the remaining tests.
That is not to say it is impossible that England will turn this series around. This is sport. Unexpected things can happen. The evidence of today is that this is very unlikely.
Jack Welsby has borne the brunt of criticism from fans. And, whilst it wasn't his best day, I do think some of the criticism was harsh, especially in defence.
For the first Australian try, he had a five on one. For the fourth try, it was a three on one. These are situations that are near-impossible to stop, especially when you look at the quality of attackers he faced.
The second try was the frustrating one. He tried to hold off before committing but waited too long and made it too easy for Angus Crichton. But to look at the wider context, England had been hit with an onslaught at the start of the second half and even if Crichton was tackled, an Australian try seemed imminent.
This defeat was a collective one. To suggest that changing one, two, three or even more players would have altered the outcome would be to understate the chasm between the two sides today.
I thought England's three quarters tried hard and in the first half, had some joy on the edges. Farnworth and Wardle looked threatening at times. Australia's defence meant that for England to score, its execution had to perfect and it was not.
An example was when England found Tom Johnstone in space who, correctly, kicked inside but it had too much weight on the kick. It was a difficult chance but one that had to be taken if England were to win. I suspect Australia would have been more likely to execute in a similar situation.
A couple of exceptions aside, England's attacking play felt very lateral. The ball was moved from side to side with little purpose. Australia are not going to shoot the line, miss a simple tackle or fall over.
By contrast, Australia moved faster, their ball movement was slicker and were far more incisive.
Speed is also an issue. Reece Walsh is lightening quick. Josh Addo Carr the same. I do not think there is anyone in the England squad that anywhere near as fast or athletic as their counterparts (maybe Herbie Farnworth).
Our pack was also noticeably smaller than the Australian one. In the past, we have often had an enforcer in the pack. A Sam Burgess. James Graham. Adrian Morley. Jamie Peacock.
I am afraid that a front row of Ethan Havard and Matty Lees is not one that can intimidate. Owen Trout tried hard but wasn't too impactful. Alex Walmsley and Mike McMeeken added size but little grunt.
I was a touch surprised to see Luke Thompson and Junior Nsemba omitted from the squad as they would have added further size that was widely lacked.
I cannot say that without recognising that Luke Thompson was bullied into submission by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in the Grand Final and Junior Nsemba's form in 2025 was not quite what it was in 2024. Silver bullets they are not.
A defeat so humbling means that looking at alternatives within the squad becomes inevitable. The 7 players that missed out today were AJ Brimson, Joe Burgess, Harry Newman, Mikolaj Oledzki, Harry Smith, Morgan Smithies and Kallum Watkins.
For full disclosure, I am not an avid NRL watcher so have no idea as to the merits of including AJ Brimson. Though I do wonder whether a full back who plays for Gold Coast is going to shift the dial against the cream of the NRL.
As for the other players, I do not see a world in which any of these players either as a collective or as individuals would significantly have changed England fortunes today.
There will obviously be increased talk about the omission of Man of Steel Jake Connor after today's loss. Without wanting to be too downbeat, again, would Connor have made a difference? I do not think he has the quality to trouble a defence as organised as Australia's. The same could be said for many players who are in the squad too.
The worry? Australia were not perfect. They made some errors. Some passes went to the floor. There is a possibility, perhaps even a likelihood they improve. They also played the majority of the match with a substitute short, with captain Isaah Yeo suffering a HIA in the early minutes.
It did not feel as though Australia hit top gear. Arguably, they did not get out of second gear. They did not need to.
The evidence of today probably explains some of Shaun Wane's comments earlier in the week. Wane gives the impression of a coach who leans heavily on motivation, passion and trying to evoke an emotional response from players, even when things are going his way.
This week, he referenced Winston Churchill and engaged in almost jingostic and imperialist rhetoric by absurdly stating that English people have a belief and grit that no other nation has.
Perhaps Wane had a suspicion that this was going to be extremely difficult and felt no choice but to turn up the emotion to even higher levels.
I felt Shaun Wane got an easy ride after England's 2022 World Cup campaign given that the tournament saw an exit to Samoa in a home semi final. This was one of England's worst defeats I can recall, up there with the 2000 World Cup semi final debacle against New Zealand. Coaches such as Wayne Bennett and Steve McNamara got a far tougher time for far less.
Today's defeat? I don't pin this at Wane's door. I may have made some different selection choices to Wane but I do not feel there is much more he can do with what is at his disposal. Nor do I believe that another coach would drive this squad to greater heights.
It would be unfair to write a piece like this without recognising Australia's brilliance. To watch players like Reece Walsh, a world class athlete performing at the top of his game, was joyous. Even if as an England fan, I was watching through my fingers.
If Shaun Wane is correct that English people possess a grit that no other nation has, today shows that English people certainly do not possess Rugby League skills that other nations, like Australia, do.
A pretty fair assessment. I did think Welsby had a poor game but then most were underwhelming. The passing from dummy half was erratic. How are the halves supposed to inject pace when they have to jump to catch the pass. Both halves are run first and didn't gell well together. Sith is the kicking organiser that might get the team to the right end of the field, as they don't look capable of scoring from deep.
ReplyDeleteI have watched the game again with my so sons who all played to a decent standard - they thought the ki la were largely decent from England but the kick chase was consistently poor
ReplyDeleteAs a Trinity fan I was astonished to see Mike McMeeken on the bench. He’s an 80 minute man and not an impact sub. Play him from the start or don’t play him at all. He’s there for graft and more graft, allowing others to come in a bash. It’s like Wane has no idea what he’s doing.
ReplyDeleteI thought that we had some good chances early on but didn’t execute. I really fear that it was two sides that played like they haven’t played together before and we still got whacked. This week could be worse.
Knocking nine bells out of them in the tunnel could be the only way to knock the Aussies off their game.
Very fair article. The reality is that Australia are simply just better than we are in virtually every position - I think Farnworth would get in the Australian team but no other player in the England set up would even enter the conversation about getting into the squad. Australia have four or five players for every position that would walk into the England team.
ReplyDeleteI’m not a Shaun Wane fan but with the players at his disposal the sad truth is that it doesn’t matter who he selects; unless Australia absolutely stink and England are near perfect, Australia will win every time. That being said, I hope he does make some changes. Welsby was poor in both attack and defence and should be dropped. Johnstone did ok but I think Burgess deserves a chance on the wing after the season that he has had.
At half time I thought we had played pretty well. Admittedly we bombed a few chances but walsh got a hand in twice and johnstones kick was a bounce too far. Herbie was blatantly pulled back off the ball and Tino flopped in front of the ref and was unpunished. A couple of different decisions and it could of been a very different game. That said I agree with all you say but didn't think there was much difference in the forwards, it was the crispness in their backlinethat did the damage.
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