ENGLAND MUST LOOK CLOSE TO HOME

WIGAN chairman Ian Lenagan has urged the RFL to appoint a homegrown coach and end Wayne Bennett’s reign as national boss.

The Aussie veteran is out of contract having coached England since 2016 and taken charge of last year’s disastrous GB tour.

RFL chief executive Ralph Rimmer and rugby director Kevin Sinfield are compiling a report of the Lions trip, which saw Bennett’s side lose all four matches against Tonga, New Zealand twice and Papua New Guinea. The

RFL board will then decide who takes charge of England for this year’s three-Test series against Australia and the 2021 World Cup.

And Lenagan insists it should either be Shaun Wane (right) or Castleford’s Daryl Powell (inset).

Lenagan said: “The least said about the international series the better. There’s no doubt from the vast majority of chairmen I talk to, we would like to see an English guy who can motivate and understands Super League better.

“Wayne Bennett’s an enormously capable coach and he’s been superb all his life.

“But I would much prefer to have a Shaun Wane or a Daryl Powell or whoever – somebody of calibre and talent who can make England play well because he knows them and doesn’t make the kind of strange selection decisions, as we think of them.”

Lenagan queried Bennett’s consistent overlooking of Wigan back-rower Liam Farrell and hopes the RFL consult Super League chairmen over the appointment.

“Previous experience has not involved that but Simon Johnson as the new chairman is quite impressive,” said Lenagan.

“He knows what he’s talking about and he’s not parochial at all.”