Shaun Wane talks England methods and philosophy – featuring Fergie and Southgate
SHAUN WANE hopes to take the simple route to glory – after a couple of self-administered slaps plus a guidance from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Gareth Southgate.
After 17 months, the England coach finally gets to lead his country into battle in a reign dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the chaos it has brought to rugby league.
His bow should have been a much-anticipated Ashes series against Australia as he bids to lead his country to the top of the world.
Instead, it is a mid-season match against the Combined Nations All Stars, the revamped Exiles side of Super League’s best non-English players in a clash many critics see as pointless as it is on the same night as three Super League games.
But try telling that to Wane. He sees it as a Test match and wants his players to put the simple teachings in action after an information overload – with senior players under more pressure.
He said: “I just keep things really simple.
Do the simple things really, really well as when you look at Grand Finals, it’s those that win them, not the flashy plays.
“Test matches are the same and when I came in, players were getting a lot of information but I simplified it and made it much less.
“My staff and I watched many games and instead of handing players lots of information, we boiled it down to what the key things are that get Grand Final wins and Test wins.
“The amount of information is really small but we know if we get them right, we’ll win games.
“It’s about them understanding what they need to do to be an England player but it’s still improving on what they’re already good at.
“I never want players to be relaxed and I’ll probably be a bit more intense towards the senior players and a bit more straight forward.
“If they’ve won things or been in the NRL, my expectations will be a lot higher and the standard of Super League as a whole is getting more towards what I want.”
Wane admits his time in charge of England has been an eye opener, in a good way.
Having been on the other side of the fence at Wigan, he now knows everyone wants national success – even the French!
He added: “What Catalans Dragons have done to get Sam Tomkins and Tom Davies over, despite them having a game, has been unbelievable.
“The help they’ve given England means they’ve put them first, so have the other clubs.
“When I was Wigan coach, I was always very supportive of the England v Exiles game. At the end of the day, we’re all rugby league people.
“And the match was exactly what England needed. It was intense, of a good standard and this Friday’s will be the same. It’ll be like a Test match.”
Describing himself as an eternal optimist, Wane sees glory coming courtesy of his ‘always improve’ mantra.
That even applies to the man telling the players to get better and Fergie plays a part.
Wane told SunSport: “I’m obsessed about that.
“I can be happy but I can never be satisfied. I can do my previews better, give information to my players in a better way. I’ve never been satisfied with how I coach.
“I can take things from everybody. I meet people from businesses and organisations too and ask them questions about how they do things.
“I’ve met Sir Alex Ferguson, I’ve met Gareth Southgate. I meet these people and quiz them and I get more off them. Hopefully, they get something from me!
“There have been one or two days where I’ve had to give myself a slap – having the Ashes cancelled was hard but people have had it worse.
“At the end of the day, we play a sport we love and what’s happening to us is trivial compared to what others have gone through.”