After Shaun Wane unveiled the England squad that will take on Australia in this year's Ashes series earlier this week, the countdown to kick off at Wembley Stadium is truely on as both sides prepare to head to the capital for the first test. 

With a host of stars of the Super League and NRL on show for both sides, here are four players that you need to watch out for in particular:

Australia - Reece Walsh

One of the most exciting debutants brought into the Australia outfit by Kevin Walters for the Ashes series is Brisbane Broncos full back Reece Walsh, who's speed and footwork was out on show as he aided the club to NRL Grand Final glory at the start of October.

A product of Brisbane's youth system as a junior, Walsh represented Queensland's Under-18s squad and Australian Schoolboys in the 2019 season whilst coming through the Broncos ranks, before making his senior state debut in 2023 in the Maroons' series win. He featured at full back twice during the series win, and was recalled in a year later to play three times as New South Wales took revenge.

After missing this year's Origin, his league form in the NRL Finals made him a certain pick for Walters, where Walsh goes up against Penrith's Dylan Edwards for the number one jersey.

Domestically, Walsh made his NRL bow with the New Zealand Warriors, who acted fast to get the full back to Auckland on a three year deal. Although the 2021 and 2022 saw the Warriors miss out on the finals, Walsh's talents came to the forefront of their attack as he finished his debut season as the club's top try scorer and scored 104 points in 22 appearances in 2022. 

He returned home to Brisbane in 2023 and was in instant hit as current Australia boss Walters combined Walsh and rising half back Ezra Mam with seasoned veteran Adam Reynolds to take the club within minutes of a Premiership, only for Nathan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers to score late to continue their reign. A below-par 2024 saw Walsh only play 14 times around injury, but his 2025 campaign will go down as one of the full back's finest as he recorded 14 tries including a score against Melbourne in the Grand Final to end Brisbane's 19 year wait to lift the NRL trophy.

2025 Stats (Broncos)

Appearances: 21

Tries: 14

Points: 124

Try Assists: 26

Metres: 3,110

England - Kallum Watkins

Three years after his last England call up, a sensational 2025 sees Kallum Watkins make his return to face a foe he knows only too well.

Debuting for his country in 2012 after winning the Grand Final with Leeds, Watkins has been part of England sides under Steve McNamara, Wayne Bennett and Shaun Wane and featured at three World Cups during his career, accumulating a total of 29 caps and 15 tries. He marked his international debut with two tries against Wales in an 80-12 win, and was part of the England side that defeated New Zealand in 2015's Baskerville Shield series as well as the 2014 and 2016 Four Nations campaigns. He ended a five year hiatus to pull on an England shirt when a successful season with Salford saw him earn selection for the home World Cup, where he played four times and scored two tries in as England made the semi finals.

No player in this year's squad has faced the Aussies more than Watkins, who was involved in games in 2013, 2014, 2016 and two in 2017, including the World Cup Final defeat where the centre was denied a try by a Josh Duggan ankle tap. This year offers a chance for redemption as he pulls on the England badge once again.

International honours come as Watkins returned home to the Rhinos from Salford two months into the season, and he was an instant hit as Leeds began to climb the table. Scoring on his second debut against Huddersfield on Good Friday, his move into the loose forward role meshed perfectly with Jake Connor, Brodie Croft and Lachie Miller to spark the Rhinos attack - Watkins going on to score three times in games against Leigh and Hull FC before the end of the season. 

2025 Stats (Rhinos+Red Devils)

Appearances: 27

Tries: Six

Carries: 354

Tackles: 738

Australia - Isaah Yeo

Kangaroos captain and long-time servant for Penrith Panthers Isaah Yeo is Mr Reliable and Mr Consistent every time he walks out on a rugby pitch.

Eight years after his NRL debut for the Panthers, Yeo was handed his Australia bow ahead of the 2022 World Cup as he featured in five games as the Kangaroos retained their World crown. He started at loose forward in his debut game - a try scoring win over Scotland - before he featured in wins over Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand and Samoa in the finale. The last two years have seen Yeo hold onto the number 13 shirt for the Pacific Championships, where he has played in every game.

Added to his international honours, Yeo has been a New South Wales rep for the last five years, winning the series in 2021 and 2024.

The Panthers' all-time leading appearance maker has been a key part of Ivan Cleary's juggernaut since 2014, notably spearheading the Panther's spine that lifted the Grand Final trophy four times in a row between 2021 and 2024. Individually, he has been voted the best lock in the NLR for four seasons between 2020 and 2024, and was Captain of the Year at the Dally M's in 2022. Although he hasn't played England during his international career, Yeo has faced English opposition twice with the Panthers as they lost out to Wigan and St Helens in the World Club Challenge in 2023 and 2024.

2025 Stats (Roosters)

Appearances: 23

Tries: 24

Line Breaks: 23

Metres: 3,186

England - Mikey Lewis

Coming off the back of Hull KR's treble winning season under Willie Peters, Mikey Lewis will be one of the key names to England and Australia fans to watch out for.

The 24-year old's rise at the Robins saw him selected by Shaun Wane for the three-game test series against Tonga in 2023 and a try-scoring debut kickstarted the half back's international career as he helped England secure the series with 22-18 and 14-4 results in the first two games. 2024 saw him utilised off the bench in a friendly win over France, before he added another try in game one of England's two match series against Samoa later that year. With three pieces of domestic silverware to his name with Hull KR, Lewis will be hoping to add an Ashes trophy to his haul to close out the year.

Scouted from West Hull by the former City of Hull Academy, Lewis became a regular at Hull KR in 2023 as the club began to progress into the Super League Play Off picture. He has been a key catalyst since, finishing the 2024 season as Super League's Man of Steel as the Robins featured in their debut Grand Final, before the club scooped all three trophies in 2025 (Lewis scoring 24 tries and kicking 16 goals - including one try in the Grand Final redemption win over Wigan).

2024 SL Stats (Hull KR)

Appearances: 30

Points: 130

Try Assists: 30

Line Breaks: 27

Get your tickets to see England now!

Although tickets for the tests at AMT Headingley and Everton have sold out, there is still time to get your hands on tickets for the opening game of this year's Ashes at Wembley Stadium.