Leeds Rhinos ace Kallum Watkins stresses 'belief we can win' as England bid to end Australia's Ashes run
Leeds Rhinos’ Kallum Watkins is enjoying a new lease of life, three years after he thought his international career was over.
Watkins, 34, is the elder statesman in England’s squad for the ABK Beer Ashes series against Australia which begins next week at Wembley. The centre turned back-rower hasn’t featured for his country since the 2022 World Cup, but outstanding form with Leeds, following a move from Salford Red Devils six months ago, secured a place in coach Shaun Wane’s 24-man group.
This autumn is the first time the Ashes have been contested since 2003 and, for Watkins, it will be one of the highlights of a glittering career, on a par with facing Australia in the 2017 World Cup final. Though not included when England’s training squad was named in June, he was invited to a recent meeting so knew he had a chance, but he admitted it’s still a surprise to find himself back in an England camp.
“I didn’t think I’d be involved in the international scene still, but I am really grateful to be given the opportunity to join the squad,” he said. “I thought the World Cup would be the end [of international rugby] for me, but I always kept it in the back of my mind.
“I didn’t want to retire from it, but I thought that was probably it after that. Thankfully, I have got another opportunity and what an opportunity it can be, going against the Aussies in an Ashes series. That’s something I never thought I’d do because it has never happened in my time playing. It has missed my generation so I am very grateful just to be part of the squad.”
The series, being shown live on BBC One, continues a week after Wembley at Everton FC’s new Bramley Moore Dock Stadium before concluding at Rhinos’ AMT Headingley on Saturday, November 8. The second and third Tests are both sold out and Watkins insisted: “As it hasn’t happened for such a long time, I think it’s something that should be celebrated. As a kid, you want to play international rugby and be involved in Ashes series. That opportunity doesn’t come often so it’s good to get the opportunity to be part of it.”
England are in their first week of training and Watkins has seen encouraging signs. “It has been good getting everybody together,” he noted. “Obviously it has been a long, tough season for everybody, but it has been good to spend time together.
“There’s a bit of work to do when we are on the field, making sure we are prepped and ready for the Test series, but spending time together on top of that is very important. There’s a real club feeling about it. Shaun Wane has led that and it is always enjoyable coming into camp.”
Though Australia have held the trophy since 1970 and will be favourites again, Watkins vowed England can end that stranglehold. He stressed: “We’ve got the players to beat them. We’ve got to bring a collective performance, come up with a good game plan and take it to them. They aren’t going to hold back, they haven’t played in an Ashes series before either, so it’s exciting for both teams.
“For us, it is about being confident and having that belief we can win. We have got the talent and the players who can do that. It’s just about bringing it all together. They have a lot of individuals who are class, but so have we. That’s the positive thing, we’ve got that talent and a good mix of experience and young players and hopefully we can cause the Aussies some trouble.
“We’ve not played against each other for so long, when we come up against them at Wembley it will be interesting to see how it goes. It should be exciting because it’s the ultimate. When you play for England, against the best team in the world, you’ve got to challenge yourself. You’re playing at the top level so you’ve got to be at your best.”