Despite plenty of England rugby league fans calling for Shaun Wane’s head, the RFL simply can’t sack him before next year’s World Cup.
That’s not an endorsement or in any way an approval of his selection or tactics during this rugby league Ashes, some of which was questionable.
But it is the reality and conclusion that the Rugby Football League will inevitably come to when they assess the Ashes and plot out the map for the next 12 months of the international calendar, with the major prize being the World Cup.
It’s a competition that England and Shaun Wane were seeking in 2022 when the delayed competition took place with Wane adamant that he was the man who could finally get one over on Australia and lift silverware.
In the end, England didn’t even have the chance to play Australia as they crashed out in the semi-finals to a dramatic drop goal against Samoa – the same Samoa side they had scored 60 points against just weeks earlier.
That World Cup failure and this latest Ashes whitewash have seen fans and pundits from both sides of the world call for Wane’s head but the reality is that he has to lead England into the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
2026 Rugby League World Cup fixtures and format confirmed
Why Shaun Wane has to survive Ashes embarrassment and take England into Rugby League World Cup
The most basic and obvious answer is time. The Rugby League World Cup will kick off on October 16th 2026 per reports, around 11 months from now. Whilst on the face of it, 11 months sounds like plenty of time, international rugby league doesn’t work that way with how packed the domestic calendar is.
All those who represented England will now have a break before joining up with their respective clubs in pre-season, with most Super League clubs already back in and prepping for 2026. That pre-season will run through early February with Super League sides entering the Challenge Cup on the weekend of February 7th and 8th, with Super League starting the week after.
There are 34 weeks between that Challenge Cup weekend and the Grand Final, with at least 26 regular rounds of Super League, four more Challenge Cup rounds, and at least three play-off rounds, depending on the system – for a total of 33 weeks, possibly rising to 34 depending on Magic Weekend or an extended play-off series.
What that means is no international break, no time for England to meet up mid-season, no time to possibly embed a new coach and have them create any kind of culture in camp. It’s also worth noting that the players in Wane’s camp have had nothing negative to say about him, so changing to a new coach is not just untimely, but also disruptive.
Tactics will have to change, selection may have to improve, new coaching ideas must be implemented in attack, but Shaun Wane simply has to stay and that decision needs to be communicated as soon as possible so change, however much is possible, can begin.
Unfortunately, Nigel Wood of the RFL has claimed that the decision won’t be “expedited” based on the fact England don’t play till October, as he explained that the verdict of whether to back or sack Wane will be decided in the next two to three months. As such, the wait to hear Wane’s future goes on.
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