Shaun Wane: Facing Australia in England-based Ashes would be stuff of dreams
SHAUN Wane is ready to live the dream he would have waited five years for – his England side to tear into the Aussies on home turf.
An apparent change of the Kangaroos’ heart is set to see an Ashes tour Down Under become a series on these shores in 2025.
Wigan and Leeds’ Headingley are thought to be favourites to host Tests on each side of the Pennines, with Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London Stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates considered for the third in London.
But just hearing he could lead his country in an Ashes series here is music to boss Wane’s ears – he was meant to do so in 2020 before Covid-19 struck.
He said: “I was brought up on Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s.
“I remember getting the job and being told we had an Ashes series against Australia and thinking, ‘I can’t believe how lucky I am.’
“Then it got cancelled and I was absolutely devastated, so to get this on again and for them to travel here is unbelievable.
“Having it here, making it a high-performance few weeks and giving ourselves the best chance of beating the best team in the world, really excites me.
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“Doing that at home, in front of full houses, I’d love it. The NRL and Australia is the pinnacle.
“I want to pit myself against Mal Meninga and the Australian team. I’ve never done anything as big as that and it’s why I took this job.
“So for me personally, it would be the pinnacle of my career.”
While Australia in 2025 is in the future, present attentions are set on making the series against World Cup finalists Samoa a 2-0 whitewash.
But he admitted any match – so far he has faced France and fellow Pacific islanders Tonga – is treated like the opponents are in green and gold.
Wane, who admitted prop Luke Thompson will play on Saturday, added: “We cannot defend and make the same errors against Australia and New Zealand as we did against Samoa on Sunday.
“We might not get away with it this Saturday against Samoa because they’re going to be a lot better, so we need to be smarter.
“But we need to keep this momentum going with a really good calendar. If we can build on this going into the Ashes and then the World Cup, I think we’ll be on a great roll.
“A really good international calendar is great for our sport.”