Wane wants more prep time
HULL KR’S Jordan Abdull could spend more time with the England squad as coach Shaun Wane looks to ramp up the team’s preparations for next year’s World Cup.
Wane’s second game in charge saw England prevail 30-10 against France, with Abdull impressing on his debut.
Covid-19 has heavily disrupted Wane’s plans and contact time since his appointment in early 2020.
With less than a year to go, Wane admits he is still unsure whether he will get another game before the World Cup next October.
The former Wigan boss is keen for as many fixtures as possible but admits it is still up in the air.
“I love coaching these fellas, they’re good players and good men,” he said.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. If this is the last game before the World Cup then that’s the way it is. I as a coach need to make sure they get enough footage to make sure we start the World Cup like we did in the first 20 minutes.
“I’ve been having lots of help off Super League, coaches, owners and CEOS. Most people have been great but I need as much help as possible. I want to get an All Stars game if that can happen and a game against a Home Nations.
“Just getting the lads on the field, training is good but it’s not like playing the game and the more time I can have with the players, the better.”
Wane believes his time with the squad has shown benefits already but needs more support to further accelerate the understanding between his squad and players.
“Since our training started a few weeks ago the players have understood me a bit more and what’s important to me and it’s not all on the field, it’s off the field with video to watch.
“The more time I can have with the players, the more they can understand and then the Super League clubs should get better players back as well. The players are pumped, they seem to have enjoyed the experience and they’ve just won a Test, so they’re in a good place.”
Wane added he was hopeful the scheduled international weekend will be left free of domestic fixtures next year, unlike the current campaign which saw Super League fixtures take place the same weekend as England’s defeat to the All Stars.
Liam Farrell, Tom Davies, Tommy Makinson and John Bateman all scored as a dominant England built a 20-0 lead over a struggling France by half-time. Corentin Le Cam and Justin Sangare then crossed for France, with Makinson and Bateman getting their second tries.
Abdull finished with three conversions.
On the performance, Wane added: “I’m OK with how we’ve managed that, we’ve bombed three or four tries as well. Things went against us but I thought coming out 30-10 was a decent effort.
“We will get better, we’ll learn going through the video, but overall I thought we did some good things. The slow ruck didn’t suit us, a faster game would have suited us but I thought we managed it quite well.”