SHAUN WANE is strongly considering both Alex Walmsley and Kallum Watkins for the Ashes series against Australia. The pair are veterans of England’s 2017 World Cup campaign, featuring in the final against the Kangaroos – lost 6-0 in Brisbane, the last meeting between the nations. Prop Walmsley, 35, hasn’t played internationally since 2021 but has missed only two league games this season for St Helens. “Alex Walmsley is not in that official squad but he’s playing really well and I’ve had loads of conversations with him about how happy I am with the way he’s playing,” said Wane. He didn’t feature in the series against Tonga, in 2023, or Samoa last year but Wane said: “He does well for me.