England Rugby League coach hunt status with position still vacant two months after Shaun Wane exit

We’re now over two months removed from Shaun Wane stepping down from his duties as head coach of England and there’s still been no appointment, despite the Rugby League World Cup looming closer by the day.

England will kick off their Rugby League World Cup campaign in Perth against Tonga on October 17th, in just over seven months time but there’s still no head coach in place following Wane’s resignation two months ago and one day ago.

Speaking back in January, Wane wished those involved good luck for the World Cup, however, questions remain over who exactly will be in charge.

This was to be expected though as Nigel Wood explained in November, when he was still interim chair, that the decision on Wane’s future would not be rushed, thus it makes sense that the decision on his replacement is not rushed either.

However, the process could start moving quickly in the coming weeks with March 24th the date to look out for as that is when proposed RFL appointments will be voted upon.

Major Rugby Football League meeting set to shape search for England boss

Currently, the majority of those senior figures at the RFL are in temporary roles but in late February, the RFL Nominations Committee informed the RFL Council of their preference for the chair and the independant non-executive director roles.

They recommended that Nigel Wood be made the permanent chair of the RFL on an initial one-year term, with the option for a second year.

Those recommendations will be voted upon on March 24th, at which point the ball can truly start rolling on who will replace Shaun Wane. Of course, no official appointment could have been made by an unappointed and interim RFL board.

As for who will be among the frontrunners to replace Shaun Wane, both Willie Peters and Brad Arthur have put their names forward and it’s understood that they’re likely to be considered.

Wigan Warriors have started Super League 2026 the best but Matt Peet has previously distanced himself from the role.

As for how soon an appointment can be expected after that RFL Council meeting on March 24th, it could move very quickly given such declarations of interest and the fact that Nigel Wood will have had his eye on the situation these past two months, and he’s now set to become the permanent chair.

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