Brian McDermott will have plenty of thinking to do in these months leading up to the World Cup but a new dilemma is emerging at full-back with the clear English standout in Super League being an uncapped player with less than 60 top-flight appearances.
In the 38-man performance squad that McDermott selected, only Jack Welsby was picked as an outright full-back whilst AJ Brimson, currently playing centre for Gold Coast Titans, has also represented England in that position.
Back in the days of Sam Tomkins, picking a number one required no thought whatsoever and it seemed that Jack Welsby would be a similar story but his Ashes shocker and poor 2026 season have led to understandable questions.
The answer to those questions could be Toulouse’s Olly Ashall-Bott with the 28-year-old clearly the best English full-back in Super League at present, and by some distance as well.
Ashall-Bott debuted in Super League back in 2018 at boyhood club but he’s found a new home in Toulouse, for whom he signed in 2022 with that being his first full season in the competition. After three years in the Championship, during which time he battled significant injuries, Ashall-Bott is back and making a huge dent in Super League but is it enough to earn an England call-up?
Should Olly Ashall-Bott be called up to England after stellar Super League season?
St Helens head coach Paul Rowley was asked that same question during his pre-match presser last week ahead of the game against Toulouse, responding with his belief that he felt Ashall-Bott to be too small for the international stage.
Whilst that could well be true given the physicality of some players England will face in the World Cup, Ashall-Bott still managed to rack up five assists against St Helens this past weekend as Toulouse won 46-0.
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It was the latest in a season of brilliant performances from the full-back, who just a week prior had scored two and assisted two against Catalans at Magic Weekend.
His run metres over the past five games tot up to 855, an average of 171 per match, with the full-back leading Super League for tackle busts with 117 in just 15 appearances.
A total of 23 try contributions is the most of any full-back in Super League and whilst it would be naive to suggest that he is better than either of Lachie Miller or Jai Field, you’d be hard-pressed to name anyone else above him, and they certainly wouldn’t be English.
With Jack Welsby out of form, AJ Brimson playing in the centres, and a void of other options, is it time for Brian McDermott to make the brave decision to call up Olly Ashall-Bott and hand him the number one shirt?
If he doesn’t then it would likely be a solution that sees a square peg fit into a round hole, such as Brimson or even Herbie Farnworth.
For years, the debate at England has been who plays in the halves but there’s now a serious contender making the debate at full-back an equally interesting discussion.
