Bennett won’t commit after World Cup loss

WAYNE Bennett nnett said it was too early to decide cide on his future as coach of the e England team following their defeat feat to Austra lia in the World d Cup final on Saturday.

T h e K a n g a r o o s edged a brave ave England 6-0 thanks anks to a f i r s t - hal l f t r y from Boyd Cordner, the only score of the he match.

Australian n c a pt a i n Cameron Smith mith said afterwards that the match was as tough as any ny of his distinguished career, er, while Bennett said it was the e same quality as the State of f Origin clashes between Queensland ueensland and

New South Wales.

Bennett , who a l s o coaches the he Brisbane Broncos in the Australian Austra National Rugby League, would not be drawn on his future plans with w England. “I’m not talking about abo that now,” he said. “I’m not n in a good state s to talk about those t hi ng s. At the moment I’m not thinking a about it so I haven’t got an answe answer for you.” The English playe players made no secret of their wish for Bennett to continue in the role. England will ho host New Zealand for three matc matches in October and Novembe November 2018, and Australian-based fo forward James Graham said he wan wanted Bennett in charge for that series. ser

“I’d love Wayne to continue the job he’s been doing,” Graham G said. “He’s been great for this group. That’s plain to see. To come to Australia, away from home, for seven seve weeks and put in a performance like that when the game is on the line for 80 minutes and you’re only one score away, he gets my vote.”

Cronk farewell

The final marked the end of an era for the Australian side, with halfback Cooper Cronk (pictured in the final, AFP) announcing his retirement from representative football after the match and fullback Billy Slater also saying he was unlikely to play for Australia again.

“Growing up 20 kilometres from here on the south side of Brisbane, I never dreamed that I’d play this amount of rep football,” Cronk said.

“I’ve got a truckload of memories and I think it’s time for someone else to grab some of those moments and those memories.”

Cronk and Slater, along with Smith, completed a rare treble this year, winning the NRL with the Melbourne Storm, the State of Origin with Queensland and the World Cup with Australia.

Smith, 34, said he would play on and called for more international fixtures in the future for the game to grow.

But he conceded that existing broadcasting deals could make that goal difficult to achieve, especially as the easiest way to play more internationals would be to shorten domestic seasons.

“For me, that’s the simplest way to do it,” he said. “But at the moment, we’ve got commitments to broadcasters and that’s fair enough.

“At the moment the revenue that’s coming into our game is through a broadcast deal, which means we have to play a certain amount of games.

“And the players understand that, so we’re committed to fulfilling those commitments. But I agree, everyone needs to sit down and let’s be creative about our schedule. Let’s be smart about it so everyone benefits from our calendar.”