England dealt major Ashes blow as huge mid-season update delivered

England’s preparation time for next year’s Ashes series will be more minimal than usual – with no mid-season plans of any kind set to take place, Love Rugby League has learned.

Shaun Wane’s side have traditionally taken on opposition in June or July during the Super League season. Those opponents have included the Combined Nations All Stars and France.

But after a low-key and uninspiring trip across the Channel to face France earlier this year, the annual mid-season Test was thrown into doubt.

And Love Rugby League has now been told that England will not have a single game during the season – with the chances of a camp of any kind looking just as remote.

Super League clubs appear to have won the club versus country battle once again, with the prospect of the regular season being spaced out instead of a dedicated window in which England could prepare sufficiently for the Ashes. A meeting of the clubs on Wednesday seemed to confirm the decision, with clubs debating the packed schedule for 2025.

The news will be a major blow to Wane, who had hoped for a variety of options to give England the best chance of success against the Kangaroos.

That included a personal endorsement of a return of War of the Roses, but even that now looks to be bleak as the congested domestic schedule looks set to take priority.

It means Wane’s time with his England squad will be lighter than ever, at a time when the England head coach has already said he would be more appreciative of more time with his group.

But now, his chances of a mid-season camp appear to have greatly diminished to such an extent that there may be no time at all for that to happen, let alone a game.

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