St Helens dealt huge double injury blow as England star’s Ashes hopes in doubt

St Helens and England full-back Jack Welsby is in a race against time to be fit to face Australia in the Ashes later this year after undergoing knee surgery.

Welsby, who captained England on two occasions in 2023, picked up the knock during St Helens’ 34-4 defeat to Hull KR on Friday night.

This injury also compounds Shaun Wane’s injury woes, with fellow back Matty Ashton also ruled out of the series after rupturing his ACL.

Welsby set for extended period on sidelines

Welsby has already gone under the knife in an effort to speed up his recovery, but the club have confirmed he is set to miss 16 weeks of action, which means he will be in a race against time to play again this season.

Elsewhere, fellow St Helens back Lewis Murphy is also set to join Welsby on the sidelines after picking up a quad injury in the act of scoring last weekend, and will miss the next eight weeks. He does not require surgery.

Commenting on the news, 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.”

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“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.”

Saints backline reshuffle

These injuries leave Wellens with two crucial calls to make within his backline. Off-season recruit Tristan Sailor, who has been playing on the wing in recent games, seems the most likely option to fill the void left by Jack Welsby at full-back. Harry Robertson, who has also switched to centre, is another option to slot in there if needed.

But that then leads to further reshuffling, which isn’t helped by the injury to Murphy. New recruit Deon Cross could shift over to the wing to fill that void, with Matt Whitley then moving into the centres. Konrad Hurrell could also be an option here after making his return from injury last weekend with Swinton Lions in League One.

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