It wasn’t to be for England in this autumn’s Ashes series, with Shaun Wane’s side suffering a whitewash across all three Test matches.
Australia were undoubtedly the better of the two teams across the series, and there can be no arguing with the result and indeed the one-sided nature of the international period.
But there were a few players who delivered some strong showings, despite disappointment on the whole. Here are the England players who caught our eye – with one clear winner..
5. Herbie Farnworth
He was given precious little all series in terms of clear-cut opportunities to work with, but Farnworth’s class and ability is clear for all to see.
There’s no way he deserved to be on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline.
4. Morgan Knowles
He’s going to be a star in the NRL, and Knowles underlined how he’s one of the best forwards in the world game with some strong showings across all three games.
His ball handling was slightly sloppy on occasions but defensively, Knowles was arguably England’s very best. How on Earth St Helens replace him in 2026 is anyones’ guess.
3. Mike McMeeken
The Wakefield Trinity forward racked up the minutes for England, just as he did at club level in Super League this year, throughout the Ashes.
His selection was fully merited too, with McMeeken standing out with some big stints where he stood up to the Australian forwards in impressive fashion.
2. Matty Lees
It’s been another strong year at club level for the Saints prop, who has further underlined how important he is to the national team throughout the last three games.
Lees is one of England’s very best middles, and he’ll play a huge role for St Helens in 2026 with Knowles heading to the NRL. He was one of the standout performers in an England shirt.
1. Jez Litten
There can surely be no doubting which player in red and white – ironic, given his club colours – came out on top for the national team in the Ashes.
Hooker Litten was the standout for Wane’s men throughout; he gave England a real spark when he came on at Wembley and didn’t really let slip his grasp on the hooking role from thereon out, playing almost the rest of the series from dummy-half.
From his brilliant break for George Williams’ try at Headingley to his measured displays at Everton and Leeds, Litten was the very best in an England shirt this autumn: and by some distance.