MIKEY Lewis believes former England head coach Shaun Wane was wrong to leave Man of Steel Jake Connor out of last year’s Ashes squad.
Connor’s omission was hardly a surprise given his five England caps all came in 2018 under Wayne Bennett and he was consistently overlooked during Wane’s tenure, but it still raised eyebrows due to his impressive form in the halves for Leeds Rhinos in 2025.
The hosts were subsequently swept 3-0 by Australia in the three-match series followed by Wane resigning in January, and Hull KR’s Lewis is in no doubt the man who beat him to Super League’s top individual honour should have been involved against the Kangaroos.
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“One hundred percent,” Lewis told Sky Sports’ The Bench podcast. “If you’re going off form of that year, because obviously you’ve got to go off form.
“It’s a hard one, [but] I’m 100 percent in saying ‘yeah’ because of the year he had and I think you’ve got to pick players on form, especially going into an Ashes series which is important.
“Having players who sometimes don’t play for three or four weeks before the Ashes even start and then you’re going to go up against the Aussies at Wembley, it’s a tough ask. Some players weren’t in form.
“I was probably glad I wasn’t coach and getting that backlash. I feel as an international coach, you’ve got to go off form.”
Lewis, who built on winning Man of Steel in 2024 by guiding Hull KR to a maiden Super League grand final triumph and a first Challenge Cup success since 1980 last year, was one of three specialist halves in Wane’s 24-man squad along with captain George Williams and Harry Smith.
Jack Welsby and international debutant AJ Brimson would have also been able to provide cover if needed, yet Lewis felt Connor had the attributes to trouble Australia and boost England’s chances of bringing the rugby league Ashes back to these shores for the first time in over half a century.
“Maybe, yeah, because you’re going off form,” Lewis said. “Especially the spine, which is so big in the game.
“Having that direction of the team and having that leader on field who’s telling the middles what to do and where he wants us, and this and that and his kicking game, putting them in positions they don’t want to play, it could have been a different scenario.
“I feel like I could truly say it would have been a different situation.”