England boss up for ultimate Test as UK set to stage Ashes rugby league series v Australia
Late is better than never for England coach Shaun Wane when it comes to the biggest test in world rugby league.
Australia were set to be Wane’s first opponents when he took the England job four years ago, only for their 2020 visit to be scuppered by the Covid pandemic. The international calendar has England due to travel Down Under next autumn for an Ashes series, but the RFL and Australian Rugby League are now in talks over that being switched to the UK.
England have not played Australia in a three-Test campaign since 2003 and the sides’ last meeting in this country was eight years ago, during a Four Nations tournament. The most recent clash between the two old rivals was the 2017 World Cup final.
Wane, who was appointed in 2020, coached England to a World Cup semi-final in 2022 and a 3-0 whitewash against Tonga last year, but facing Australia is the ultimate challenge. Speaking to the media at AMT Headingley - which will stage Saturday’s second and final Test against Samoa - Wane recalled his appointment as national boss and his hopes for a crack at the Aussies then.
“When Ralph [Rimmer, then RFL chief executive] said ‘your first job is the Ashes against Australia’, I remember thinking I can’t believe how lucky I am,” he said. “When it got cancelled, I was absolutely devastated. To get it on again and for them to travel here is unbelievable. I can’t wait for it now.”
Wane stressed he would be happy to lead England in Australia if that’s the schedule, but reckons playing them here, in front of big crowds, would be something special. Though plans are still at the discussion stage, one game would probably be played at a London football stadium, with the others in the north.
While Ashes series traditionally involve Great Britain, it will be England in action next year. Wane added: “The thought of playing the Ashes in Australia and trying to beat them there, I really fancied having a go at doing that.
“But having it here and making it a high-performance few weeks and giving ourselves the best chance of beating the best team in the world, that really excited me - doing that at home, with a full house.
“I would love it. I have good memories of [Great Britain] playing Australia - I want to be part of that. Australia have played the best rugby over the last couple of decades and as a coach, that’s who I want to pit myself against.
“I have never done anything as big as that and it is why I took this job. For me personally, it would be the pinnacle of my career to coach against them.”