England coach Shaun Wane has slammed Aaron Woods, igniting the upcoming Ashes series after the former Kangaroos player lit the fuse with an early sledge.

Speaking in Triple M, Woods delivered criticism after listening to one of Wane’s team talks, suggesting he was boring his players only days before the Ashes kick off on Sunday.

“Fair dinkum, can you wake me up?” Woods said.

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“Are you kidding? No wonder they haven’t won an Ashes in years.

“England are getting blokes like (Gold Coast’s) AJ Brimson, who can’t make a Queensland squad or Australian team to go over there and play for them.

“Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand have a better chance of beating Australia than England.”

But while Woods believed Wane won’t be able to inspire his troops, Woods’ comments certainly have with remarks being used as fuel for the English side.

“The boys know about it and they don’t like it. All the negative comments have been mentioned in camp and that was one of them,” Wane said to Code Sports.

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“If we can win on Saturday, then it’s going to be down to him and I will send him a thank you message after the game. It has motivated a few players.”

Wane also said he “just” remembers Woods from his playing days, explaining the former Origin and Kangaroos representative isn’t a player that was “his style”.

“I saw him play and I watch a lot of NRL but I like fast-twitch, aggressive, never-give-in, tough and confrontation front-rowers,” Wane said.

“He’s not a player I would have had (when coaching) Wigan. He was more ‘attritional’, not my style.”

It’s not the first time Woods’ comments have left a representative coach frustrated, being involved in a public exchange with Queensland coach Billy Slater during the 2025 Origin series.

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“I want to see the real Billy Slater come out – the grub that we know of. This is a bloke who kicked John Skandalis in the head and got a six-week suspension. Everyone wants to go ‘oh he’s such a nice bloke,” Woods said ahead of Game II.

To which Slater responded by saying: “You don’t know what people are going through,” he said.

“And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn’t be. Maybe our last coach didn’t.

“I believe the character of a person is judged more on what they say about people and how they treat people, than what an individual says to create attention.”

Slater went on to apologise to the Green family for his comments, while the rugby league world weighed in on the saga, with both parties being heavily criticised.