When Brian McDermott was appointed England head coach in April, replacing Shaun Wane after six years in charge, he was clear about his plans for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup and ending a 54-year tournament drought.
“We can win,” he said. “We can absolutely win. But we have to do some things differently.”
Seven months ago, McDermott also praised Leeds Rhinos half-back Jake Connor after the 2025 Super League Man of Steel was controversially omitted from last year’s Ashes squad.
“What nobody can argue is that Jake’s a tremendous player,” McDermott said. “He’s a fantastic player. He’s a game-breaker.”
Those words have left many scratching their heads after the former marine finally named his 23-man squad for Australia, with the glaring omission once again being Connor and the preference instead for Hull KR playmaker Mikey Lewis.
Neither Lewis nor Connor featured in Saturday’s Grand Final, with both the Rhinos and Robins failing to reach Old Trafford. Instead, Warrington’s George Williams and Wakefield’s Jake Trueman went head-to-head in the decider, with Trueman coming out on top.
Wakefield Trinity are Super League champions for the very first time! pic.twitter.com/LRp219jZNH
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) October 3, 2026But Connor being overlooked again, with England seemingly crying out for a different kind of creative, maverick half-back, has raised plenty of eyebrows.
The 31-year-old, who won the Challenge Cup with Hull FC in 2017 and represented England strongly in 2018 and 2019, enjoyed another impressive season with Leeds.
Connor finished with 42 try assists, four tries and 133 goals in 26 appearances as the Rhinos finished second in the regular season.
Lewis, by comparison, registered 14 try assists, 17 tries and 18 goals in 20 appearances as Hull KR finished sixth, while a series of suspensions disrupted his campaign.
It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Leeds’ failure to reach the Grand Final has cost Connor dearly.
Adding to the surprise is the fact McDermott’s other half-backs are captain Williams and Wigan’s Harry Smith.
Those are the same three playmakers who struggled to impose themselves against Australia last year, when England were beaten 3-0 in the Ashes series on home soil.
Head coach Brian McDermott has put his faith in Mikey Lewis instead (Photo: Getty)Of the spine options who faced the Kangaroos 11 months ago, only one face has changed, with Wigan hooker and this year’s Man of Steel winner Brad O’Neill replacing the injured St Helens hooker Daryl Clark.
How England will “do things differently” against New Zealand, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Australia with almost exactly the same creative players as before is perhaps one for Nostradamus.
There were further surprises with the inclusion of Sydney Roosters utility Hugo Savala ahead of NRL team-mate Billy Smith. Both were born and raised in Sydney and are eligible to represent England through their heritage.
Smith helped the Roosters beat Newcastle Knights 19-18 in Saturday’s epic NRL Grand Final. The centre scored a try, made 98 metres and did not miss a tackle as the Roosters secured a dramatic victory.
Savala, meanwhile, was on the bench and did not take the field.
Yet Savala has made England’s squad while Smith has been left out. There has been speculation that Smith suffered an injury during the Grand Final, although that has yet to be confirmed.
Other surprises include the selection of forward Kai Pearce-Paul, who has not played since mid-June after tearing a pectoral muscle, and Brisbane Broncos prop Ben Talty.
Brisbane won only eight games this season and finished a disappointing 14th, with Talty largely used from the interchange bench.
McDermott has not been helped by a series of injuries before naming his World Cup squad. Wakefield quartet Tom Johnstone, Caleb Hamlin-Uele, Jake Trueman and Mike McMeeken are all facing off-season surgery, while Leeds pair Ash Handley and Mikołaj Olędzki were also unavailable.
But the England coach has made a rod for his own back before a ball has even been kicked.
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Report: Kevin Sinfield’s son etches his name into Super League folklore Opinion: The 23-man squad I would pick to end England’s Rugby League World Cup painMany England fans, already frustrated by the lack of free-to-air television coverage of the tournament, have been left angry and confused by McDermott’s selections.
England must hit the ground running against Tonga in their must-win opener in Perth.
If they do not, McDermott could find himself under serious pressure within weeks.
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