England’s captain George Williams anticipates Saturday’s first Ashes Test against Australia, which will begin the first touring Kangaroos series since 2003, in his BBC Sport column.
We are on the verge of completion. I don’t believe we’ve ever been more prepared than this when England and Australia square off at Wembley, and I mean it when I say that.
I’ve been a part of it for ten years, and it’s the best England setup, so I’m getting old.
That’s not something I lightly say. Our best chance is here.
You attend meetings with head coach Shaun Wane and hear a lot of talk about the game over the past six months.
We are now in the game. Because we will be ready to leave and firing, I’m anticipating his Saturday speech.
Rugby League Ashes
25 October, 1 November, and 8 November.
Worlds apart from the beginning, I thought.

Although a small number of people put in a lot of effort, the group we work for is a world apart from how it was in 2015 and 2016.
Results are crucial, and we haven’t lost in the Emirates since the World Cup semi-final in 2022. Over the past few years, we have defeated strong opposition, but it’s more what we’ve built.
Waney referred to the squad as having a “club” vibe. That hasn’t always been the case.
We had previously stated that no one would ever actually do it, despite what we had already said. I enter and sit down, and there are two St Helens players to my right and Owen Trout to my left, both of whom I know.
Alex Walmsley, the Saints’ prop, was very kind to us. He remarked, “I can’t believe what you’ve built. Since he hasn’t been on the program in a while, I was happy to hear that. For all the young people who have helped build that over the past few years, including Waney, it was a pat on the back.
Waney establishes our standards. He finds it bothersome to speak with hotel staff and waiters. Do we do our own cleaning? It means everything to him.
- a day ago
- a day ago
- a day ago
- two days ago
Extensive training and flawless preparation
You want intense training, which is what you want. When you first join the team, you realize just how talented the players are.
Although we had beliefs in the past, it occasionally serves as a reminder of how good we really are out on the paddock.
The training sessions were excellent and extremely polished. For the first time in my opinion, Waney said, “Will you just chill out?” because everyone is moving so quickly and is eager to put their best foot forward.
From the season gone, everything goes out the window. Everyone wants to play on the Test side, and everyone is improving themselves through training.
Herbie’s life story is lost, and AJ’s.

The camp was excellent. It’s nice to reconnect with both the new and the old people. We were talking last night about how about six or seven of us started out with Waney getting the job, and others who have since matured and advanced.
Herbie [Farnworth] and I had a good time, but you can tell he’s changed. I’ve been giving him a little slap because he’s no longer deserving of praise because he’s now spending a lot of money. He has lost touch with his Burnley roots.
Newcomer to the group, AJ Brimson, is a good guy. Herbie and AJ first arrived in Australia with me for a beer, so I went with them. They made me feel guilty by promising to have a drink if I were a good captain. I briefly met them before going home.
AJ is passionate about it, and he’s really invested in it. We practice the “Life in Five” practice by giving each other five snapshots of their lives as a stand-up display.
Faceing an old friend and the challenge of the Roos
We examined the Australian squad and admired the level of talent there. We are aware of the depth of the squad. When Tonga and Samoa faced off against each other, we discussed the same things: they both had a lot of talented players, but we both now know what we have.
Anyone can match it with us.

Because of our previous performances and performances, I believe the Kangaroos now respect us. Willie Peters has been welcomed by them over here. He has a fantastic year with Hull KR, which I believe has to do with his deep understanding of Super League.
We also have some unknown young people who they won’t have heard of, which is a plus for us.
An old face from the Canberra era might be a target for me, though. We’re really close friends and we Face-Tie him a few times a week, but our conversation has slowed down a little over the past week or so. We used to be friends when I first moved to Australia.
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Source: BBC
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