Brad Arthur addresses Jake Connor England snub as ‘consistency’ claim countered
Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur (inset) has had his say on Jake Connor's England omission.
Leeds coach Brad Arthur has challenged Jake Connor to continue doing what he has been for most of this year in a bid to earn an England call-up: insisting he has been one of the Rhinos’ most consistent players in 2025.
Connor was arguably the standout omission from Shaun Wane’s latest England performance squad this week, despite a series of impressive displays for the Rhinos at half-back this season.
When asked by Love Rugby League why Connor didn’t make the cut, Wane insisted he needed the Rhinos star to be ‘more consistent’. Arthur would not be drawn on whether he would have called up Connor when asked on Thursday, but admitted he sees no issues with the half-back’s consistency.
“I have control over what team gets selected here, not the England squad,” Arthur said.
“Jake has been one of our more consistent players and he’s trained well. Me and him have had a brief conversation about it but it’s the same as in club land: play well, train well and you just don’t know what will happen.
“It’s a long way away and if he plays well, he might force their hand. At the moment, he’s more than comfortable just doing his job for us.
“He knows where he stands in this group. Whether he should be in that squad.. that’s nothing to do with me. I don’t pick the team and I don’t know the reasons around the team selection.”
When pushed as to whether he agreed with Wane’s comments about Connor’s supposed inconsistency, Arthur admitted: “All I can do is comment on my opinion.
“My opinion of how he has been playing for us, is I’ve been happy with his consistency.
“He’s had one game where he was a bit off and that was against Saints a fortnight ago. Outside of that there’s been bits and pieces he could have done better but it’s hard to be on top for a full 80 minutes and that’s what he’s learning to do.
“Last weekend (against Leigh) was a good example of how he’s staying in control. Remember he’s playing a new role. He’s playing with a seven on his back. He’s not had much practice with that and there’s been good signs of improvement.”
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