England coach Shaun Wane believes his players must be at their absolute best to have a chance of winning the first Ashes series in 22 years.
After a two-decade absence, the Ashes series returns to Wembley on October 25, with England – rather than Great Britain – battling against Australia in a three-Test series.
Wane, who has been England coach since 2020, is aware of the mammoth task his side are facing but trusts his team to perform in front of a massive home crowd.
The 61-year-old said: “We need 15 players having their best ever game – that’s the level of quality in the Australia team.
“I believe we have got players who can do that. They know how good they need to be to win, but it’s going to take an arm and a leg to make a performance from England for us to do that.”
The former Wigan player and coach has named Hull KR treble-winner Mikey Lewis in his 19-man squad, while Wigan’s Harry Lewis has been left out.
England captain George Williams – who is also in the line-up – shares his coach’s sentiment on how good the team need to be in order to defeat the world’s number-one ranked side.
The 30-year-old came off the bench last time England and Australia faced off in the 2016 Four Nations and wishes to avenge their 36-18 loss to the eventual tournament winners.
The Wigan-born halfback said: “As an Englishman to be playing against the best in the world, in your own country with your family and friends, it’s the pinnacle.
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“It is not something we will not be taking for granted, it’s unbelievable. But we know what Australia bring. We’re preparing for what is ahead – it feels proper, it feels elite.
“I think the group is ready. We beat Tonga, we beat Samoa, now it is time to beat the Aussies.”
Not only do they seem unbeatable now, but World Cup champions Australia also looked undefeatable when last Ashes series took place in the early 2000s.
From 1973 to the last series in 2003 the Kangaroos won a record 13 Ashes consecutively, with their last loss coming in 1970 on home soil.
Australia coach Kevin Walters, who took charge in July, has been on both the winning and losing side of this fixture as a player, and knows his side need to be in confident in themselves to win at Wembley.
The 58-year-old said: “In 1990, England came here with the right attitude, and they beat us. In 1994, it was the same situation.
“We rolled into Wembley a little bit off with our attitude and we lost. We have to make sure our attitude is right for the game.
“Attitude wins big games. We have got to get it 100% right, and talking to their players and their mindset, it’s very positive.”
Featured image: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
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