ENGLAND head coach Shaun Wane has called for a change in the Super League schedule if an improvement for the 2026 World Cup is wanted.

England were second best throughout the Ashes series against Australia, but the tight domestic scheduling means their Super League-based players will be back in pre-season next month.

If England are to compete in the World Cup next year, Wane believes that more needs to be done to help the players at his disposal.

“Our players will be back in training in four weeks, some five weeks at the most,” Wane said.

“We play ten more games on average than them. It’s just really tough what we ask of our players.

“I get it, there’s a commercial aspect to it. But they want us to turn up in the World Cup and we’ve got George Williams who will possibly get five weeks off and he is just behind the eight ball.

“They (Australia) play State of Origin and play ten or 11 Test match equivalents, and we won’t get together until the start of the World Cup next year and we are expected to do something.

“That is a fact, I’m not just moaning about this. If they want us to get better and improve then something has to change.”

Wane still hasn’t had any communication regarding plans for 2026.

“I would love to get my players together for a session – I didn’t even have that last year,” he said.

“It makes me admire the players even more when you consider what we’ve had and what we’ve come up with in these games.”