Time for change, take a risk & tactical failures: England talking points ahead of 3rd Ashes Test v Australia

England/Great Britain haven’t won the Ashes since 1970 and with Australia 2-0 ahead in the ABK Beer series going into Saturday’s final game at AMT Headingley, that won’t change this year. After the 26-6 defeat at Wembley, the home side matched the Kangaroos for most of last weekend’s rematch in Liverpool, but ultimately came up short, losing 14-4. Here’s five talking points ahead of the final match of the 2025 rugby league season.

Not good enough: Fans in this weekend’s sell-out crowd deserve better. England have scored one try in 160 minutes of Test rugby and that’s unacceptable. It was an improved performance at Everton, but giving the Aussies a tough game - which it was for the most part - should be the minimum expectation, rather than a cause for satisfaction.

England’s pack were strong, they took the game to the Kangaroos and muscled up physically, but the attack was nowhere near the standard required. Coach Shaun Wane’s side have created chances, but in both games, but other than one late lapse when the opening Test was already won, Australia's defence has been able to handle everything thrown at it. Changes, in tactics and personnel, are needed if England are going to prevent a whitewash at Headingley this weekend.

Comings and goings: Two of England’s 24-man squad, Leeds Rhinos centre Harry Newman and winger Joe Burgess of Hull KR, haven’t featured yet and therefore should get a go this week. They could replace Jake Wardle and Tom Johnstone, who has been playing through a groin injury, in the 17.

Mikey Lewis was wasted on the bench last weekend; if he’s in the team - which would be the right call - he should start. Daryl Clark could then return to the side on the bench as Jez Litten deserves to continue as first-choice hooker. Wane will be reluctant to drop his captain George Williams, but it’s worth trying AJ Brimson at stand-off, which would mean Jack Welsby, who was below-par at Wembley, returning as full-back.

Alex Walmsley has found the going tough and it would make sense for Owen Trout to be recalled among the substitutes. It’ll be interesting to see if John Bateman is recalled after missing last weekend’s game through illness; it’s unlikely Kai Pearce-Paul will be left out and Kallum Watkins - though 34 and near the end of his test career - had a good game at Everton, playing the full 80.

Take a chance: Since before the series even started, England’s approach has been risk-averse. Wane put too much emphasis on ‘credit in the bank’ rather than selecting on form and his team haven’t played to their strengths. It has been too predictable and nothing the hosts have done has caught Australia by surprise. The last time England beat the Aussies was 19 years ago when a maverick play-maker, Sean Long, ran them ragged. Other than maybe Lewis, who was smothered out of the game at Wembley and got only 11 minutes last weekend, England don’t have anybody to do that this year - not in the Test squad, anyway. Clearly, leaving out Man of Steel Jake Connor was a mistake. He would at least have thrown something different at the Aussies and his versatility - he can play full-back and centre as well as in the halves - would have been an asset.

World Cup warm-up: Incredibly, this weekend’s game could be England’s last before the 2026 World Cup. Wane had one hand tied behind his back going into the Ashes, having had no warm-up fixture and very limited time with his team. If it’s a similar story next year, England’s chance of achieving anything will be about the same. An aggregate attendance of 110,000 for the opening two games shows there is an appetite for international rugby league, but the sport here puts club before country and series defeats like this one are the result. Whether Wane stays on or not after Saturday remains to be seen; it’s perhaps time for a change, but no obvious replacement is available and starting afresh isn’t ideal in a World Cup year. However, until the sport starts treating the international game with more respect and greater emphasis is put on developing home-grown players, England will continue to lag behind, no matter who’s in charge.

Toffee or not Toffee: It was a clever decision by the RFL to take the second Test to Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Playing at such a new venue, opened only a few months ago, attracted a bit of extra attention and probably contributed to the game being sold out.

The difference in atmosphere between a 50,000 crowd there and 60,000 at Wembley was vast and made a positive difference to England’s performance. The dockside stadium is an ideal rugby league venue, with good viewing all round and fans right on top of the action, despite the steep stands.

The reaction was overwhelmingly positive and some fans are now calling for a return, not only for future internationals, but also Magic Weekend and possibly even the Grand Final. It seems a no-brainer to play future Tests there, but - as things stand - Everton’s not a realistic contender for Super League’s title decider simply because it’s not big enough. This year’s drew a gate of 68,853 and only the first two Grand Finals, in 1998 and 1999, were watched by a crowd that would fit inside Bramley Moor Dock.