RFL boss delivers ominous verdict on Shaun Wane's future as England coach's position dissected

RFL Senior Executive Director Nigel Wood has refused to guarantee Shaun Wane will remain England boss after this autumn’s 3-0 Ashes Series defeat, insisting his role will be reviewed ‘in the fullness of time’.

Wane has been at the helm of the national team since February 2020, overseeing a run to the semi-finals of the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup on home soil and this year’s Ashes whitewash defeat as well as series victories over Tonga and Samoa.

Never before has his role been under as much scrutiny as it currently is, with plenty of calls for him to be axed on the back of a three-Test series against Australia in which England simply failed to deliver.

With the World Cup taking place Down Under next year, there are currently no plans for any England games prior to the tournament, just as there were none this year in the build-up to the Ashes.

But it doesn’t appear clarity will be given any time soon in relation to Wane’s role and whether he’ll still occupy it come the World Cup.

RFL boss delivers ominous verdict on Shaun Wane’s future as England coach’s position dissected

Polarising figure Wood, who is also the Chair of RL Commercial having returned to the RFL board in Spring 2025, has been asked about Wane’s future by the BBC.

Stating that the process would take two-to-three months, at best, he said: “We will review all of that, like we always do.

“This isn’t a kind of public examination of any of the coaches.

“We will review that in the fullness of time when the reports are received like we do at the end of every international series.”

Wane is contracted until the end of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across Australia and Papua New Guinea. Until now, there had been no suggestion from any official source that his job may be at risk.

But ominously, Wood continued: “There’s nothing guaranteed on anything in life, is it?

“At the end of the day, as we always do, the RFL will seek the feedback from those around the camp and make a judgement in the fullness of time.”

And when quizzed on the gap between England and Australia, he added: “I think there’s something probably in the coaching that we need to look at.

“We need to make sure we’ve got the most up-to-date coaching, (and) we need to look at our production of younger players as well.

“There are more young athletes playing rugby league in Penrith than there are in the whole of England, so there is a player supply issue.”