With the first rugby league Ashes in 22 years just over a month away, there are plenty of questions about England’s half-back options.

We’re just under six weeks from the first Test at Wembley where an England and Australia men’s international rugby league match will be contested for the first time since 2017, with that game being the World Cup Final.

England fans will remember the agony of Kallum Watkins’ ankle being tapped as he raced away as the Australians won 6-0 in Brisbane in front of 40,033.

It’s expected that a far larger crowd will turn out at Wembley whilst the second Test at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium will pull in just over 50,000.

Kevin Brown and Luke Gale played in the halves the last time England played Australia with Jonny Lomax the utility of the bench but with two of the three retired, it’s clearly going to be a new pairing this autum but who exactly will play is unclear.

Where are they now? The last Great Britain side to host Australia in the rugby league Ashes

Who has Shaun Wane historically played in the halves?

Including the mid-season internationals against France, Shaun Wane has opted for three different pairings in the halves across the last eight internationals.

The last of those was that Rugby League World Cup semi-final defeat against Samoa where Jack Welsby played in the halves, given Sam Tomkins’ role at full-back.

Since Tomkins’ retirement, Welsby has had a firm grip on the number one shirt so he’s not a huge shout for a half-back shirt but he has played there for St Helens with the club trying to figure out their spine.

George Williams and Harry Smith is the most commonly used pairing in those eight games, featuring in five with Mikey Lewis deputising for the suspended Williams in the other two matches.

Realistically, Shaun Wane has five men to consider if you include Welsby as a half-back option with the trio of Williams, Smith and Lewis, joined by Man of Steel frontrunner Jake Connor.

We’ve assessed the 2025 form of each man to look at their merits and chances of being named at either six or seven when England host Australia on October 25th.

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The form of every England halves option

Jake Connor (Leeds Rhinos) – 9/10

Jake Connor did not even play in Leeds’ last game and you would argue that the performance only increased Connor’s status as the best half-back in Super League in 2025. Leeds were directionless without him as the game highlighted just how much he makes them tick.

Left out of the 30-man training squad and told he must show more ‘consistency’, Connor has been the most consistent playmaker in Super League all year with his 30 assists and seven tries in 25 games proving that.

Clearly not fancied by Shaun Wane, he almost certainly won’t feature but if you were selecting by the form book then Connor would be the first name on the team sheet.

Mikey Lewis (Hull KR) – 6.5/10

If you had asked to rate the form of Mikey Lewis about five or six weeks ago then you’d have him on par with Connor but like the Hull KR team as a whole, Lewis’ form has dipped.

That said, his 2025 season on the whole still holds plenty of merit and there is a belief that Lewis, when on form, has a point of difference that no other England playmaker has and that’s his incredible running game and X-factor.

His tally of 19 tries and 28 assists is incredible but if you consider he has just one try and two assists in his last six then it’s possible that Lewis has played his way out of an England shirt.

Harry Smith (Wigan Warriors) – 7/10

The opposite of Mikey Lewis and Hull KR are Harry Smith and Wigan Warriors who are both coming into form at the moment and that will massively boost Smith’s chances of starting in the Ashes.

He’s also played in each of the last seven England games and is clearly the best in-play kicker that England have, something he has mastered in big games with his Grand Final performance in 2024 going under the radar for how good it was.

His playmaking stats aren’t as good as others but 19 assists is still very respectable and with his recent form on the up, it’s hard to think that Smith isn’t one of the starting halves.

George Williams (Warrington Wolves) – 4/10

Warrington Wolves have been awful in the second half of the season and George Williams hasn’t been the saviour that he previously has been.

The England captain is arguably the best defensive player among this list, alongside Harry Smith, but his playmaking hasn’t been as dynamic in 2025 as previous years.

That said, he’s still picked up 17 assists and his tally of three assists and one try in his last six games eclipses Mikey Lewis’ recent tally. Currently injured, Williams likely won’t be able to find form for the Ashes so if he’s selected then it will be based on Shaun Wane’s trust in his captain.

Jack Welsby (St Helens)  – 6/10

Still trying to find form after his injury and changing positions every other week, Jack Welsby has actually played in the halves a fair bit recently and he would be an option if England name AJ Brimson as their full-back.

Whether that will happen is still to be seen but the Gold Coast Titans man has changed his international eligibility, although it’s hard to look past Welsby as a full-back with the St Helens man rivalling Jai Field as the best in Super League in that position, when on form.

A very unlikely option in the halves and almost certainly England’s number one, Welsby has still managed six tries and 18 assists in just 18 games, including four assists in five since his return from injury which has also seen him play loose forward.

Our predicted pairing – George Williams and Harry Smith

Harry Smith’s kicking game is something that no other player can offer, not even Jake Connor, and George Williams has money in the bank with Shaun Wane in respect to how he’s skippered the side since Sam Tomkins’ retirement.

Having played this pairing whenever possible since Tomkins’ retirement, it’s hard to see Shaun Wane changing tact for the biggest series of his career, especially when Mikey Lewis has potentially played himself out of a shirt based on recent form.

Jake Connor will count himself incredibly unlucky not to feature with the Leeds Rhinos man the best half in Super League this year and arguably the best English player, possibly barring Morgan Knowles.