Hull KR man Jez Litten was the best hooker in Super League this season and could be a starter for England later this month. That’s according to England head coach Shaun Wane, who named his 24-man squad on Monday afternoon ahead of this autumn’s Ashes series against Australia.
Litten is one of two hookers set to be involved for England against the Kangaroos, with St Helens’ Daryl Clark being the other number nine selected. Of course, Danny Walker and Brad O’Neill had been hoping to be involved in the series but the pair miss out with Wane selecting the treble winning Litten, who scored a decisive try in Saturday’s Grand Final.
It’s no surprise to see the Rovers man involved given the year he’s had and after earning a spot in the Dream Team and winning the Robins‘ player of the year award, he’ll hope to end the year by adding to the one cap he won against France in 2023.
Shaun Wane on Hull KR hooker Jez Litten
“Jez has been the best nine in the comp this year,” Wane said during his first Ashes press conference at the team hotel in Worsley. “He’s fixed his game.
“What Willie has done there at Hull KR with that team and with Jez in particular, he’s just changed him around. He’s done a great job. Jez is a great player.”
Asked how close Litten was to being considered a starter for England, Wane added: “He’s close, very close but so is Daz (Clark). It’s not a XIII, it’s a XVII and the people off the bench are just important as the starting XIII but he’s very close. He’s a good player and I’ve a lot of time for Jez.”
Litten was one of three Rovers players named in the squad with Rob Burrow Award winner Mikey Lewis and Saturday’s double-try scoring Grand Final hero Joe Burgess also included in the fold. Burgess has been one of KR’s key men this season and his selection was most certainly a justified one.
“I spoke to him on Sunday so he wasn’t in that good form, if you know what I mean,” Wane laughed, with Rovers’ Grand Final celebrations going on long into Sunday.
“He was really pleased and I had spoke to him a few weeks ago about his form and he’s going well for Hull KR. I know what he can do.
“He did a great job for me at Wigan. I know what he’s capable of, Budgie. He’s a great kid and he’s going to be a fantastic asset to the 24.”
Pushed on the players he had to think about following Saturday’s Grand Final, Wane added: “There was a few. Brad and Jez and Mikey gripped the game. He needs to do a bit more of that, Mikey and he knows that. Budgie (Burgess) was really impressive.
“I thought Elliot Minchella was good, defended really well, but he’s not made the squad which is credit to all the coaches in Super League, there’s so many players who could’ve made the 24. There was a few things that went through my mind, private things.
“I went through every player yesterday who was in the squad and I went through players that weren’t in the squad so yesterday was a really tough day for me.
“I must say the response from all the players what weren’t in the squad was unbelievably good. The spirit and how they took the bad news from me, they wanted the team to crack on and they’ll come to the hotel and carry on visiting us because they’re part of the squad, they just want us to do well in the Ashes.”
