Head coach Shaun Wane says there is “no question” he is the right man to lead England into the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea despite his side falling to a 3-0 Ashes Test series defeat.
Wane, 61, took the England job in 2020 after succeeding Wayne Bennett and led them to a World Cup semi-final in 2022 where they suffered an agonising golden-point defeat by Samoa.
Since then, series wins over Tonga and Samoa have followed – the former Wigan boss has won 14 of his 19 matches in charge.
But his position has been scrutinised by sections of the English media and some fans during the course of the Ashes series, with world champions Australia winning at Wembley, Hill Dickinson Stadium and AMT Headingley.
When asked directly whether he should stay at the helm, Wane told Sport: “Absolutely. No question about that.”
In a post-match media conference later, he was asked if he believed he was the right man to take England into the World Cup, and said: “I don’t believe – I know I am. The only people I want [the backing of] are the players and staff and I know I have that.
“Talks aren’t planned yet but they will be planned. We’ll do a report on the series and what we think we need to make it better. We’re all going in the same direction.
“I need to have a conversation with the RFL in the next few weeks about the direction we’re going in. I’ll make recommendations to give us a chance to have these players prepared for a World Cup and we’ll take it from there.”
Wane’s detractors will point to three unforced changes to England’s spine after their first Test defeat by Australia at Wembley and a lack of penetration in attack.
Without Victor Radley, England have lacked a ball-playing 13 – and while performances did improve once they reverted to a halves combination of Harry Smith and George Williams, and Morgan Smithies was brought in, to some extent Wane began the series in a no-win situation.
His omission of Super League’s Man of Steel winner Jake Connor raised eyebrows before a ball had been kicked and Mikey Lewis’ limited role in the second Test also proved an unwelcome talking point.
However, there is unanimous support for Wane among his players, captain George Williams explained.
“No doubt at all. We all believe in him 100%,” said Williams..
“What we’ve built in this series has been really good and Shaun is definitely the right man. As players, we’re just looking at ourselves really. We really believed we could do something special in this series and it’s 3-0, which is a bit embarrassing.”
Earlier in the week, Hull KR hooker Jez Litten said he “loved” playing under Wane, while St Helens prop Matty Lees also gave him a firm endorsement.
“He [Shaun Wane] is the perfect fit for the job,” Lees said. “I love every chance I get to play under him; he brings the best out of me and is one of the best coaches I have had.”