England have named their 19-man squad for the third and final Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley on Saturday, with two changes from the team that lost 14-4 in the second Test
England’s head coach, Shaun Wane, has unveiled his 19-man squad for the final Ashes Test against Australia at a sold-out Headingley this Saturday, with two alterations to the team.
After suffering defeats of 26-6 and 14-4 in the first two Tests at Wembley and Hill Dickinson Stadium respectively, England are lagging 2-0 in the series and can no longer secure victory.
As they gear up for the match in Leeds this weekend, the home side will be playing solely for pride, aiming to dodge a 3-0 whitewash on their own ground.
Contrary to previous hints from their head coach Kevin Walters that they might not, the Kangaroos have opted to go full strength for the third and final Test, striving to clinch that whitewash.
The two adjustments Wane has made from the 19 named last week ahead of the second Test in Merseyside see Hull KR winger Joe Burgess and Leeds Rhinos centre Harry Newman join the squad, reports.
If both of these players take to the pitch, which seems probable, every member of England’s 24-man squad this autumn will have participated in at least one of the three Tests.
The two changes are direct replacements, with Burgess stepping in for fellow winger Dom Young and Newman replacing fellow centre Jake Wardle.
Newcastle Knights’ speedster Young was compelled to leave the pitch towards the end of last weekend’s defeat at Everton, appearing to have sustained a significant injury.
Newman has been a fixture in the England team under Wane since his debut in 2023, with his sole try for the national side being scored at Headingley.
Burgess boasts three international caps, all earned in 2015. A decade on, he is poised to play his fourth match for England, following an outstanding season where he netted 24 tries in 25 appearances for KR, contributing to their treble victory.
The 19-man squad for the third Ashes Test at Headingley features AJ Brimson, Joe Burgess, Daryl Clark, Herbie Farnworth, Tom Johnstone, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees, Mikey Lewis, Jez Litten, Mike McMeeken, Harry Newman, Mikolaj Oledzki, Kai Pearce-Paul, Harry Smith, Morgan Smithies, Owen Trout, Alex Walmsley, Kallum Watkins, and George Williams.