THE recent Rugby League World Cup was a disappointment from an England and Shaun Wane point of view.
Wane, who earned his stripes as Wigan Warriors boss throughout the 2010s, was determined to lift the Paul Barriere Trophy and stated it would have been a failure if England didn’t win the tournament.
As it turned out, England didn’t even make the final, having been knocked out by Samoa. Since then, there has been a review by the RFL in terms of whether or not Wane should continue in the role.
If the RFL decide not to renew Wane’s contract then who could lead England?
Paul Rowley
Paul Rowley worked wonders with the Salford Red Devils in 2022, taking the club all the way to the Super League semi-final play-offs before losing to eventual champions St Helens. The Red Devils defied most peoples’ expectations who had predicted Rowley’s men would finish near the bottom of the Super League table. Rowley’s man management is superb and he has a knack of improving players that other clubs had perhaps given up on such as Tim Lafai, Brodie Croft and King Vuniyayawa. It would certainly be an inspired choice if the RFL went with Rowley.
Ian Watson
Two young British coaches have been mentioned in the first two options as both Rowley and Ian Watson have enhanced their reputation to become two of the most exciting bosses in Super League. Watson worked wonders at Salford, getting the club to both a Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final whilst his work at Huddersfield Giants has so far seen him steer the West Yorkshire side to a Challenge Cup Final and a top-four spot in Super League. Watson would definitely want to win a trophy with the Giants first before any plan for England would come into question, but it’s surely only a matter of time before the former halfback is considered.
Brian McDermott
Out of work as a head coach, Brian McDermott is currently the assistant coach of the Newcastle Knights in the NRL. McDermott is a coach that divides opinion straight down the middle despite being the most decorated boss in Super League history. Having said that, the former Leeds Rhinos head coach failed to inspire Featherstone Rovers to promotion from the Championship in 2022. Would McDermott take the England job? Who knows, but it would definitely be an interesting appointment and a brave one by the RFL.
Paul Anderson
Currently in charge of the England Knights, Paul Anderson has been slowly building up his reputation as a potential head coach of England in the future. Revered within the sport after a stellar playing career as well as being the first coach to lead the Huddersfield Giants to the top of the table in the Super League era, Anderson has been within the national set-up since 2018 and was also appointed as head of pathways in the England camp this time last year. Prior to this role, Anderson had been head coach of the Warrington Wolves’ academy where he earned considerable praise.
