England captain George Williams fires back at doubters ahead of Ashes opener

The moment the names drop, social media lights up. It doesn’t matter the sport – rugby league, football, cricket – the one guarantee is that someone, somewhere, will be furious.

George Williams knows that all too well. As Shaun Wane's captain, his inclusion in the England squad for the Ashes should have been one of the few non-negotiables.

Yet when his place was confirmed, the reaction bordered on incredulous.

Williams struggled to reach his lofty standards in an underperforming Warrington Wolves side and hasn't played since late August due to a shoulder injury, prompting questions about the wisdom of throwing him straight back in against the formidable Kangaroos.

But Williams has a clear message for his doubters.

"I've played 300 games," said the 30-year-old. "If eight weeks off is going to damage me, I'm in trouble.

"Even though I haven't played in that time, the longest break I've had from training is four days.

"I've not played a game but at the back end of the season, the only thing I couldn't do was contact with my shoulder and neck. I was probably running more than I've ever run. I've had a mini pre-season and am ready to go."

Since Williams last made a tackle in anger, Mikey Lewis and Harry Smith have faced off in a Grand Final and Jake Connor has been crowned Man of Steel – an accolade that wasn’t enough to sway Wane.

Those half-backs may have put stronger cases forward during the Super League campaign but Williams is Wane's man, so much so that he was the only starter the England boss would name for the Wembley opener at Tuesday's series launch.

"We have a good relationship," said Williams, who started his career under Wane at Wigan Warriors.

"He's big on trust. When you've won things together and have performed for him on the biggest stage, of course there's going to be some trust there.

"I always try and repay him. There were a lot of players in form but international level is different. The physicality goes up and Waney relies on people who never give in, are tough and have been there before."

With Williams locked in, Wane had to decide whether to partner his captain with the dynamic Lewis or the calculated Smith.

He has left no room for conjecture, omitting Smith from his 19-man squad and placing his faith in a man who lit up Super League once again in 2025.

"Mikey's had a great year," said Williams. "He's been brilliant.

"He'll bring some unpredictability and his kicking game has come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of years.

"He'll be full of confidence – winning the Grand Final makes you feel 10ft tall. Hopefully he'll go to 12ft on Saturday."

Williams and Lewis have been tasked with unlocking a defence stacked with the cream of the NRL.

England have lost just one competitive game under Wane, claiming series clean sweeps against Tonga and Samoa in recent autumns.

Yet they remain long odds to topple the Kangaroos.

"They have the title of the best team in the world and rightly so with what they've done over a long period of time – but we're on the rise," said Williams.

"People are quick to forget what we've done over the last couple of years. A lot of people were talking about Samoa when we played them and we beat them. A lot of people were saying we couldn't beat Tonga and we beat them.

"Don't get me wrong, we know how good Australia are. If we're being honest, it's a superior competition to Super League but that doesn't mean we don't have enough players within ours to match them. They're human just like us.

"The group is ready. We'll really see where we're at after this."

Even with a clear edge in talent, Australia – like any national side – are not as cohesive as a club team.

England have worked hard to build that connection off the field, forging a sense of unity in camp that they hope will translate onto the pitch.

"That could be cliché and people might be wondering what it means," said Williams on the club environment created by Wane. "But what we've built is so good and that's no exaggeration.

"We come into camp and we're as one. Trust me, it's not always been like that.

"It used to be Leeds lads together, Warrington lads together and the other little groups. That's what you naturally did.

"Now I go in and sit down with Jack Welsby, Morgan Knowles, Mikolaj (Oledzki) and it's just four mates talking like we've been together all year.

"It's hard to create but that's the camp we've got now."

After 22 years between Ashes Tests, it is almost time for the talking to stop. And if England can topple Australia, all the noise around selection will be quickly forgotten.

For Williams, Saturday represents a chance to show that Wembley is his kind of stage.

"That's what I'm hoping to do," he said.

"These are the games you want to be a part of. I dreamt of playing in games like this as a kid.

"I've been fortunate enough to win Grand Finals but this feels a little bit more special. If we could get this series win, it would 100 per cent top my Grand Final wins.

"It'd be a great stepping stone for us and give us a lot of belief to go and win the World Cup."