WANE’S WHIRL

England coach has his sights set on a return to club coaching after World Cup

SHAUN WANE has put Super League clubs on alert after signalling his desire to return to club coaching after the World Cup.

The England boss insists he is fully focused on his country’s fortunes on home soil this autumn but that ultimately day-to-day coaching remains appealing.

Wane was initially linked with, then ruled out of the running for the Warrington Wolves job from 2022, which has now been filled by Castleford boss Daryl Powell.

The Tigers job remains open for when Powell departs at the end of the season, though nothing is distracting Wane from his ultimate goal.

He explained: “If anything comes along great, if it doesn’t then I’m still contracted to the RFL and chief executive Ralph Rimmer, and the team there have been really, really supportive of me.

“I owe them and want to deliver a good World Cup. I want to make sure the team is well prepared, and I’m very grateful for what they’ve done.

“If something happens in club land over here or overseas I’d definitely listen to it. The only thing I’m thinking about now is the World Cup, it’s my only focus.”

Asked whether the England job could be a part-time role, Wane answered yes – but that everything he does is on a full-time basis. He also emphatically dismissed the prospect of being a No.2 in Australia’s NRL.

“I tried it with Michael Maguire at Wigan and was a terrible assistant,”

Wane said. “He might have thought I was OK but I’m too opinionated, I need to be in charge. It sounds a bit arrogant that, but I’m not.”

Wane yesterday named an unchanged 35-man England training squad ahead of his first session with the squad next week.

It means the likes of Jake Connor, Jake Trueman and Gareth Widdop, who have all started the season impressively, remain omitted but with Wane insisting they can force their way in.

Widdop will next year be coached by Powell at Warrington, after he agreed a three-year deal to take charge from 2022.

Powell said: “I feel like I’m moving from one special club to another.

“Hopefully there’ll be an excitement at Warrington and an excitement at Castleford that I can finish off there in a really positive way this year.”