Australia head coach Kevin Walters has asserted his belief that England will boast one of their strongest teams ‘in some time’ at this year’s Rugby League World Cup, noting that Brian McDermott’s side could well fly under the radar.
Walters, who oversaw an Ashes clean sweep for Australia against England last year, will be incredibly familiar with England as a result of that series, but he’s still predicting a strong tournament for McDermott’s side.
Recently appointed as the new head coach of St Helens for 2027, a role that will see him vacate his Australia job at the conclusion of the Rugby League World Cup, Walters appeared on James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast to address his impending switch and this year’s tournament.
Despite his Kangaroos limiting England to just 18 points across three games, and even more impressive only two tries, Walters has admitted that this year’s England side could be very different.
“This English side that’s coming out here, I think it’s going to be one of the strongest English teams you’ve had in some time,” he said on Graham’s Bye Round podcast.
Of course, England are now under new coaching but Walters spoke about some of the NRL talent that will be on display, including one man who did not play at last year’s Ashes.
He said: “I just look at some of the names, Herbie Farnworth, and some of these forwards that are here, Matty Nicholson, jumping out of the ground at Canberra, isn’t he?
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“Their progression, and their experience that they’ve got the last couple of years in the NRL is going to be fantastic for them when they hit the World Cup.”
Host James Graham, one of just a handful of players to play 50 or more games of international rugby league, claimed that England are ‘trying to go under the radar’, something that Walters admitted was a worry.
“And that’s what worries me,” he responded, explaining: “You’ve got two games in Perth. I’ve seen the draw, I know where you blokes are!
“You can just fly in there, go about your business, and all of a sudden, we’re into finals.”
Perth is the only west-coast host city for the World Cup and England play two of their three group games there. Should they finish in the top two of a six-team combined pool, they will then progress to the semi-finals, where it’s expected Australia and New Zealand will be waiting for games in either Newcastle or Sydney, before the final in Brisbane.
