Shaun Wane brings "legend" Sam Burgess on board for England vs Tonga plans
New Warrington head coach Sam Burgess will join up with England for next month’s Test series against Tonga.
Although not an official part of Shaun Wane’s coaching staff, the national boss said he was looking forward to welcoming the ex-England captain into camp. Burgess, 34, recently prematurely left his role as South Sydney assistant coach in acrimonious circumstances. He was due to arrive in the UK at the end of the season to take on his new gig with Warrington for 2024.
But the ex-Souths star, who captained England in the 2017 World Cup final, will also now lend his vast experience to the national side as they prepare for the three Tests. Wane, who has appointed Brisbane Broncos assistant Lee Briers to his staff, said: “Sam Burgess will be involved and Sam Tomkins. Sam (Burgess) is a very proud Englishman and a legend of a fella, so he’ll be coming in to meet the players and join in in training.
“He’ll be coming in and having a chat, being in and around the squad and watching video. He’s trying to get into head coaching himself. He’s open-minded. He wants to improve and he thinks he can get better if he comes in camp with us.”
Catalans full-back Tomkins, who captained England in last year’s World Cup, retires at the end of the season but will also be on hand to help Wane’s preparations. They kick-off against Kristian Woolf’s Tonga at St Helens on Sunday October 22 - eight days after the Super League Grand Final. The two nations then face-off at Huddersfield (October 28) and Headingley (November 4).
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Wane is unsure whether there’ll be any “bolters” in his squad which he expects to draw from within his current 40-man training squad - who met on Monday night - plus his NRL contingent. But he had a word of warning for Harry Newman, the highly-rated Leeds centre hoping to make his Test debut. Newman, 23, has come under scrutiny for a number of attitude issues after lashing out at opponents and arguing with officials.
Sam Burgess in England action (PhotoEye.co.uk)When asked about his perceived petulance, Wane said: “He needs to improve and get better at that. I will not entertain that. He's a real talent, Harry, and it's something he needs to improve on, but as a talent and a player he's one of the best.”
Asked if he’d pick him for the Test now, Wane said: “If it was now.. probably not. But things can change over the next few weeks. I know he's not a bad kid off the field and it's something he needs to get out of his game at the minute.”
Meanwhile, Samoa - who dumped Wane's side out of the World Cup semis - are expected to be confirmed as England's opponents in next year's home three-Test series.
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