Saturday’s third and final Test has been described as a dead rubber and in terms of the outcome of this year’s Ashes series, that is undeniably the case. But the encounter in Leeds – possibly the last game England will play before next year’s World Cup – is anything but in terms of finding the answers to the questions which have arisen for the national side over the past few weeks.
Even the most optimistic of souls at the Rugby Football League would argue this has been a series that has not hit the mark from an English perspective. As such, a series whitewash being completed by Australia at Headingley on Saturday afternoon will leave questions hanging over the England coach, Shaun Wane, and whether he can lead the side into the World Cup in 2026.
