Five possible full-back options England could turn to after Jack Welsby blow

St Helens and England full-back Jack Welsby is now in a major race against time to be back fit for the Ashes series against Australia later this year following knee surgery. 

The versatile back, who can also play in the halves, picked up a serious knee injury in his side’s 34-4 defeat to Hull KR last week and has been ruled out for at least four months as a result.

Commenting on the news, alongside losing fellow back Lewis Murphy, Saints head coach Paul Wellens said:

“Obviously, it is disappointing news for Jack and Lewis, and the Club will, as we always do, give them our full support in their injury recovery.”

“I am certain Jack & Lewis will give their all in their rehab to get back on the field and contribute once again to our team when they return.”

Welsby has commanded the England number 1 shirt for the past two years, starting seven Tests in a row since 2023, but this timeframe now makes him a major doubt for the series, which gets underway in October, and could force Shaun Wane to look at other alternatives.

With him becoming a focal point in the side, previously captaining them in the absence of George Williams, Wane has not had much chance to test out other options at full-back despite opting to blood in some others across the rest of the park.

However, there are some very good options available to him across the game, but just who will he pick?

Well, with that thought in mind, here is our breakdown of the possible replacements.

Front-runner: AJ Brimson

The clear front-runner to slot into the vacant number one jersey would be Gold Coast Titans ace AJ Brimson, who has recently been cleared to play for England. The NRL star has shifted into the halves in recent times, however has spent the bulk of his career in the back-field and would be a great replacement. He would bring heaps of experience to the side with over 120 NRL appearances to his name and four State of Origin appearances for Queensland too – most recently in 2023 – but he would also add a completley fresh dynamic to the side and could be a great weapon to unleash on the Kangaroos. Brimson is also a very versatile player, and could slot in wherever needed should things go pear-shaped.

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Outside bets: Jake Connor, Max Jowitt, Jack Broadbent

Elsewhere, you’d expect Jake Connor, Max Jowitt and Jack Broadbent would be firmly in Wane’s mind this afternoon, after their respective displays at full-back this season.

Connor and Broadbent have both shifted positions in recent weeks, with Connor into the halves and Broadbent to centre, but both men showed exactly what they can do in the back field and that would please Wane no end.

Looking first and the Leeds Rhinos man, he showed early on what an asset his playmaking skills, eye for space and general attacking intelligence can have on a team.

He was instrumental in the Rhinos’ early season victories and no doubt could do that again in an England shirt. His best position is possibly in the halves, with him having a huge effect on the Rhinos team there, but he is still a decent option.

Broadbent would be a completely different option, given he’s more of a running threat than a playmaker, but still could be just as effective. He seems to be finding himself in different holes this season, cleverly timing his runs to slice open defences and get over the whitewash, which would add a completely different dynamic to this England side.

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While the other two are versatile options, Wakefield’s Max Jowitt has been settled at full-back for a number of years at Belle Vue and is bang in-form right now.

He offers a blend of the two above, really, given he almost spawns in the exact right place to worm his way over for a try and can compliment an attack with his playmaking skills, and that in itself could see him propelled into this England squad. He is also ice cold off the tee, which is another tick in his box.

Wildcard: Mikey Lewis

The BIG debate heading into the Ashes is which of Mikey Lewis, George Williams and Harry Smith miss out on the team, but what if all three were on the pitch at the same time?

The current Man of Steel has had some decent exposure to life at full-back for the Robins, and looked fairly comfortable in that position as well. He would then also offer another serious playmaker to the England attack, and could still have his customery flashes of brilliance in slightly more broken field, which could be deadly.

Lewis did struggle under the high ball when shifted to full-back, and if he did come in to replace Welsby in the side the Kangaroos would possibly look to target him, but there’s also no doubt he would offer some proper magic alongside Williams and Smith.

It probably won’t happen, but it would certainly solve Wane’s major headache.

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