St Helens star Tommy Makinson wants England boss Shaun Wane to get new deal
St Helens star Tommy Makinson has urged the RFL to give England boss Shaun Wane a new deal.
Wane’s future is up in the air after a bitterly disappointing World Cup semi-final exit against Samoa. He is out of contract with the governing body weighing up their options. But ex-Golden Boot winner Makinson believes the former Wigan coach remains the right man for the job.
He said: “For me, it’s a no-brainer so 110% (Wane should carry on). Shaun’s a world-class coach but a world-class person as well. We didn't achieve what we wanted to in the World Cup and Shaun’s the first to say that.
“But I think as a coach of this country, Shaun Wane’s our coach moving forward. As a group we really enjoyed what Shaun brought, how good a coach he is and how good the six weeks were. It was some of the best six weeks we’ve ever had in our life. It just ended with a poor performance didn’t it? We didn’t let him down because that’s the game - you win and lose - but I do think, if we’d reached the World Cup final, it (his reign) all gets talked about differently.”
Impressive England had sailed through the group stages, including demolishing Samoa, and thrashed Papua New Guinea in the quarter-finals before things turned sour. They agonisingly lost 27-26 to Samoa in extra-time to miss out on the chance of facing champions Australia at Old Trafford. Makinson, 31, is now preparing for the new Super League season with the champions.
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But he admitted: “The first few weeks after the World Cup semi-final, it took some getting over. It was a hell of a way to lose a game in Golden Point to a drop goal like that. So it did take some getting over. But in this sport you have to move on quickly. We had a nice break and I've been back in at Saints since January 2.
England winger Tommy Makinson shakes hands with boss Shaun Wane after the World Cup semi-final loss to Samoa (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) (Getty Images)“We’re building for something special again. There’s a lot going on: a World Club Challenge and a trip to Australia to play the best team around at this moment in time and then an action-packed season trying to back up our fourth title and a lot more honours along the way.”
Plenty of those Samoa players will be in the Penrith side that Saints face for the World Club Challenge in Sydney on February 16. Makinson was one of five St Helens players who featured for England in the World Cup along with Jack Welsby, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees and Joe Batchelor. They could also have three more England internationals - Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley and Mark Percival - returning in time for that Penrith showdown.
Makinson added: “You park it and move on but there’s definitely lessons to be learned from those six weeks in the World Cup. It was an unbelievable time in camp with the best lads and best group. A lot of those Saints players who played in the World Cup will be playing against Penrith and teams over there. We can help the group.”
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