Is Lewis demanding selection for England's Ashes squad?

Mikey Lewis rugby action

After making his England debut in 2023, is Mikey Lewis now positioned to lead against Australia?

If there was any lingering doubt Mikey Lewis would be in contention to start for England in the first Test of the Ashes series against Australia in two weeks' time then his performance for Hull KR on Saturday surely put paid to that.

The influential 24-year-old playmaker opened the scoring for the Robins during their historic Super League Grand Final victory against Wigan Warriors.

His brilliant dummy-set try initiated Hull KR's path to an extraordinary domestic triple crown, establishing them historically among the elite five Grand Final winners over the past thirty years.

England Boss Faces Tough Choices

He may not have been named this season's Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel, narrowly missing out on the honour he won in 2024 to Leeds' Jake Connor, but he won the Rob Burrow Award for man of the match in the Grand Final.

England manager Shaun Wane, preparing to announce his squad Monday, now faces significant selection challenges for the inaugural Ashes Test at Wembley in two weeks.

With George Williams of Warrington serving as England captain and Harry Smith also impressing during Wigan's second-half resurgence, Lewis faces stiff competition for starting positions.

Meanwhile, Connor will feel as if he has earned the right for a call-up himself off the back of a mature and impressive season in which he helped the Rhinos to their first top-four finish since 2017.

Expert Opinions on Lewis' Selection Claims

Mikey Lewis in action

Having appeared five times for England and crossed twice, Lewis possesses international pedigree

With the historic Ashes revival after twenty years approaching, Hull KR's Willie Peters (set to assist the Kangaroos) considers Lewis' championship performance a transformative career milestone.

“I said out there that Mikey Lewis has arrived and what I meant was, that was a big moment,” Peters stated.

“Grand Finals represent the ultimate stage and he completely dominated the opening period.

“He cops a lot but it just shows the type of player we've got, who he is and what he's about.

Salford Red Devils manager Paul Rowley believes Lewis has emphatically stated his selection argument amid intense competition.

“Mikey Lewis is shouting from the rooftops 'pick me', or 'don't pick me if you dare',” Rowley commented.

“He's saying he can do it, he's a big player and he's doing it on the big stage.

“Mikey Lewis has got to be in there somewhere, but it's hard to squeeze all these good players in - there are only a few positions for quite a few players.”

Mikey Lewis with awards

Hull KR's Mikey Lewis departed Old Trafford celebrating his Grand Final victory and Rob Burrow man-of-the-match honor

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