Overview

• Kevin Walters will lead the Australia Kangaroos on their first rugby league Ashes tour in 22 years under a short-term deal covering the October–November series in England.
• He succeeds Mal Meninga, who has taken charge of the new Perth Bears, under a mandate that could be extended based on his performance in England.
• The three-Test series kicks off at Wembley Stadium on October 25 before moving to Liverpool’s Bramley-Moore Dock and Leeds’ Headingley.
• Payne Haas, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow are weighing pledges to Samoa for the Pacific Championships, which runs concurrently with the Ashes tour.
• Teammate Pat Carrigan has backed his colleagues’ cultural decisions but expressed hope that they will still don the green and gold this autumn.