World Club Series 2016: New England coach Wayne Bennett rejects home criticism as Britain’s best face Aussie test

Legendary Brisbane Broncos coach out to change opinions after complaints over decision not to appoint a Brit

Dave Hadfield

Rugby League Correspondent

Thursday 18 February 2016 23:36 GMT

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Wayne Bennett is the coach of Brisbane Broncos and England (PA)

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British rugby league once again goes on trial against its Australian cousins this weekend, hoping that the results of the trio of games between the top-three teams in each country do not show all too clearly why it needs an Australian, Wayne Bennett, in charge of the England team.

The legendary coach of Brisbane Broncos – who play Wigan on Saturday – was unveiled this week and spoke for the first time about the challenge of combining the two roles and the criticism that has followed the decision not to appoint a British head coach.

Keiron Cunningham, the coach of St Helens – who kick-off the second staging of the expanded World Club Series at home against the Sydney Roosters – has been one of those critical of bringing in an Australian coach. But Bennett is umoved by the furore. “I can understand it,” he said. “Everyone is entitled to his opinion. My job is to change their opinion. The criticism didn’t surprise me at all. If I listened to people who criticised, I wouldn’t be here today.

“People will have their point of view for whatever reason but sometimes the reason doesn’t match the logic. There are Australians who have coached England before and there’s lots of Australians coaching in English sport in the past.”

Asked why he thought he had been appointed, Bennett would only say: “You really need to ask Nigel Wood. He’s the one who made the decision.” Wood, the RFL’s chief executive, was ready with his answer. “You would have to look hard to find a more suitable person to lead a national team,” he said of the most successful coach in Australian rugby league history, with seven Grand Final wins.

One thing Bennett let slip was that he will ask the Wigan captain, Sean O’Loughlin, to continue in that role for England. “He’s a wonderful player and a wonderful captain,” Bennett said. “I’m not here to re-invent the wheel. I’m not going to change what’s working.’

Bennett, in fact, was full of warm words for the British game and its “wonderful” series win over New Zealand last autumn. “Steve McNamara [his predecessor] has done a very good job and I’m just here to try to take it to the next level,’ said the 66-year-old Australian.

But despite his enthusiasm about leading England – he turned down other jobs to do so – do not expect Bennett to do an Eddie Jones and, like the head coach of England’s rugby union side, sing the English national anthem before a game. “I won’t be singing ‘God Save The Queen’ – I’m Australian,” said Bennett. “It’s Eddie Jones’ prerogative if he wants to sing it.”

On the club front, the team news for the game is that Saints, who have not been convincing so far this season and were hammered by Salford last week, may switch Travis Burns, out of favour at stand-off, to hooker for the injured James Roby. The Roosters could give a start to their latest recruit from the British game, the former Wigan winger, Joe Burgess.

But the highlight of the weekend should be the meeting on Sunday night between Super League champions Leeds and the Australian champions North Queensland Cowboys for the World Club Championship. But the Rhinos are in such disarray at the moment with two defeats in two games so far, a lengthy injury list and no Kevin Sinfield or Jamie Peacock to hold them together that it is hard to see them making much of their opportunity to become the best team in the world.

By contrast, the Cowboys’ Johnathan Thurston has received the Golden Boot as the world best player for the third time.

It would be the biggest upset in the eventful history of the World Club Championship if Leeds could prevent him from getting his hands on that trophy as well at Headingley on Sunday.