Shaun Wane on Jake Connor's England Ashes snub: 'I don't get the obsession' with Man of Steel
Jake Connor has not been chosen for England despite winning Man of Steel; Three Test matches between England and rivals Australia will be held at Wembley Stadium, as well as a clash at Everton's new Hill Dickinson stadium, and at Headingley across three Saturdays from October 25
Monday 13 October 2025 15:40, UK
England head coach Shaun Wane says he does not get the "obsession" with Jake Connor's exclusion from his Ashes squad despite him winning Man of Steel for 2025.
Leeds Rhinos' halfback Connor was voted as the star man in Super League this season, beating Hull KR's Mikey Lewis and Wigan Warriors' Jai Field to the top award.
Many believed that his form across the season could see Connor playing international rugby for the first time since 2019 but Wane has opted for Warrington Wolves captain George Williams, Wigan's Harry Smith and KR's Lewis.
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Both Williams and Smith are tried and tested options for Wane that have brought him recent series victories over Tonga and Samoa.
Meanwhile, Lewis has been included in a lot of Wane's recent squads and came through with potentially his best performance to date in KR's 24-6 Grand Final win over Wigan.
It means Connor will now have to target the World Cup in Australia in 2026 for a chance to put on the England jersey once again because Wane says he does not see the "obsession" with and admitted that winning Man of Steel holds no weight to him.
"It was not really difficult (to leave Connor out)," Wane said.
"He's a very, very good player, Jake, no doubt about that. I spoke to him in the week and he's going to be available for the World Cup next year.
"When I'm picking a squad, the thing you will never hear from me is 'he's won the Man of Steel he needs to be in'.
"I don't even know who picked the Man of Steel, I don't know what goes into it. The Dream Team, I don't even know who's in the Dream Team, so that never comes into my reckoning. Them things that are important to other people.
"I just watch the players play and think who can do a fantastic job against Australia. It is more about form than anything else.
"We had a good chat, he's a really good lad and I've lots of time for him.
"But there's other players, other than Jake Connor, not got in this 24, and I don't see the obsession about why every single person, the Man of Steel, it just doesn't mean anything to me."
Lewis 'changed my thinking' with Grand Final showing
However, one man who has made Wane do some thinking is Lewis with his star performance in the Grand Final, picking up the Rob Burrow Award for a stellar player of the match performance.
Prior to that game, many had levelled at Lewis that he had not turned up in a big match for his side but in Super League's showpiece event he put that to bed, with Wane "accepting" that he had changed his thinking in that regard.
"Yeah, a little bit, I'll accept that one," he added.
"There is no doubt about that, I thought he gripped the game. I like a halfback that runs and he runs, he has lots of things in his game.
"But we've got two weeks now to have a look at the players and come up with a team that we hope can beat Australia in the first Test."
England vs Australia
First Test - Saturday October 25, Wembley Stadium, London
Second Test - Saturday November 1, Everton Stadium, Liverpool
Third Test - Saturday November 8, Headingley Stadium, Leeds
