England head coach Shaun Wane has insisted he ‘knows’ he is the right man to lead the national team into next year’s World Cup, with captain George Williams backing Wane to boot.
England were beaten 3-0 by Australia in an Ashes series that represents a major missed opportunity for the hosts, given how under-par the Kangaroos were across the three games.
Wane is contracted for next year’s World Cup, but the nature of the series defeat across the autumn has led to questions about whether he should continue into 2026.
However, the England coach has hit back at suggestions he may potentially step aside, delivering a strong response in his post-match press conference at Headingley. When asked if he believed he was the right man to take charge in the World Cup, Wane said: “I don’t believe. I know I am.”
Wane admitted talks with the RFL will be planned for the coming weeks as the series is debriefed, but there is no suggestion a change of coach is in the works.
He said: “The 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.
“We’ve not played well enough for long enough periods against a really good team. This is a different challenge against a team that’s going to ask you questions. We couldn’t do it for long enough periods.”
Wane’s captain also supported his view that the England group are keen to continue unchanged into 2026 with him as the head coach of the team
Williams said: “100 per cent. We’re all with him. 100 per cent.”
