MIKOLAJ OLEDZKI hopes he showed Shaun Wane enough at Hill Dickinson Stadium to be able to celebrate his 27th birthday on Saturday by running out for his fourth England cap at his ‘home’ of AMT Headingley.

But the Polish-born Leeds Rhinos prop insists that team success ranks above personal glory.

Oledzki emerged from a predictably downcast home changing room after a 14-4 defeat to Australia saying: “All that matters to me is getting the win next week.

“I can’t even think of a scenario where they beat us 3-0 – it’s a must-win for us and there is no better place than Headingley to do it.

“There will be a great atmosphere, a proper northern welcome, and the fans will be right behind us.

“All the stadiums (that have hosted the Ashes series) are great  – some are breathtaking – but Headingley is a special place for me – I’ve played there all of my career (bar short on-loan spells at Bradford and Featherstone).

“You won’t get 50,000 into Headingley but you will get a very, very loud 20,000.

“It’s a fantastic stadium with a really rich history and, fingers crossed, I get to run out into a very loud and proud stadium.

“For 70 minutes we were on top of them today – it was just five or ten minutes where they got two quick tries and we let the game get away from us.

“We are not far off getting a result and we can use the 70 minutes we saw today as fuel to get it.

“We are 2-0 down and as a group we know that it’s unacceptable not to get a win.

“We can’t let them get on that plane back home with three wins.

“We will have to execute for the 80 minutes and avoid the little blips as it’s these small margins that can cost you the game.”

Oledzki’s previous England appearance, against France, was in 2022 and he recalls: “The World Cup wasn’t the best experience for me – I only ended up playing one game.

“So I wanted to show Shaun (Wane, coach) what I was capable of.

“I wasn’t fully fit and over the past two years I’ve struggled a bit with my form and maybe even felt a bit sorry for myself.

“But I’ve learned a lot about myself and my game and to get the opportunity again to represent England and my family is very special.

“To get to this point I have had a lot of tough conversations with myself and with coaches, so this feels like a big achievement and means a lot to me.

“I keep learning and to be around all these world-class players is a massive opportunity to do that.

“Some players never get to experience that. I’m very fortunate.”