Peters ‘keen’ to have talks over England job

Hull KR’s treble-winning head coach Willie Peters says he is “keen” to have talks about taking charge of England for this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

The Australian, 46, is among the contenders to succeed Shaun Wane, who stepped down on 14 January.

Peters led Rovers to their first Super League Grand Final triumph last October, along with the League Leaders’ Shield and the Challenge Cup.

He then joined up with the Australia squad for the Rugby League Ashes series as an assistant to head coach Kevin Walters, helping them to a 3-0 series win over England.

Peters told BBC Sport: “I’d be keen to have discussions if and when that arose. It’d be a privilege to coach England, that’s for sure.”

Former Wigan coach Wane, 61, stepped down after just under six years in the role, having led England to a World Cup semi-final in 2022.

Wane worked on a full-time basis but the Rugby Football League has said the role is “expected to revert to a part-time position”.

Asked if he had been approached regarding the role, Peters said: “No, I haven’t spoken to anyone yet.

“It’s a job that many, many people would be interested in and whoever coaches England will have a squad that competes very hard. They show a lot of passion and effort, that’s what an England team does.

“Shaun did that, got them firing in terms of effort and competing.

“There are probably a few different areas that they need to work on. As I’ve said openly, the spine is probably an area that needs focus but they’re not too far away.”

The 2026 World Cup will be staged in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 15 October and 15 November.

Wigan’s Matt Peet has ruled himself out of the running.

“It’s not in my thoughts, no,” he told BBC Sport. “It’s not something I’m interested in doing in the short term. Maybe one day – but now my focus is 100% on Wigan and my family for the next few years.”

England captain George Williams, who announced on Tuesday that he will leave Warrington at the end of 2026 to move to the NRL, said that Wane’s replacement needs to bring “passion” to the job.

Williams, who is widely expected to link up with England team-mates Herbie Farnworth and Morgan Knowles at the Dolphins, said: “I was disappointed that Waney lost his job and I think a lot of players would say the same thing.

“Whoever comes in, I’m sure they’re passionate and keen to get us moving forward.

“If you’re coaching England, you’re going to be good at your job. That’s automatic. But I think the passion is a big one.