England coach Shaun Wane calls for action to strengthen northern RL nations
SHAUN Wane has called on rugby league bosses to ensure England are not left out of the world’s top stars.
Next month’s Test opponents Tonga and World Cup finalists Samoa lead the rise of new nations challenging the traditional trio of Australia and New Zealand.
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But while they have competition on their doorstep alongside Fiji and Papua New Guinea, England will either have to travel or get countries to walk 10,000 miles to achieve the resilience required.
France were beaten 64-0 in April when a mid-season international entered the game, which will be repeated. Wales, Scotland and Ireland are also well behind, while Italy is made up almost entirely of emigrants.
And England head coach Wane wants action to be taken to raise the level of local competition, meaning the team is exposed to the required standards more regularly.
He said: “Definitely there is still a lot to do.
“I would like to have Test series against France, Wales and Scotland but we are still a long way from that.
“We have to deal with it. We have to find a way and increase participation. We can’t wonder what would happen, we have to make things happen.
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“It would be crucial for us to have a calendar here with a strong opposition, but that is not the case yet.
“It would be fantastic to have local competition.”
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Wane finds himself in a rare position as an England manager in that he knows how his team will play for several years to come.
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This year, Tonga is followed by Samoa, then an Ashes tour to Australia, the World Cup and tours of the Kangaroos and New Zealand.
It’s enough for him to be able to plan, because he adds: “It’s huge. When I first heard about the international calendar, it was really important to me.”