Willie Peters has explained what input he may have on the next Hull KR coach, whilst also revealing his reasons for withdrawing from the race to be England boss.
The Australian has been confirmed as the first head coach of the PNG Chiefs with Peters set to leave Hull KR at the end of the current season, allowing him to spend 2027 prepping for the Chiefs’ 2028 entry into the NRL.
Whilst it’s a major blow for Hull KR and Super League, it’s also an appointment that has resulted in Peters ruling himself out of contention for the vacant England role, something that the Australian had previously put his name forward for.
Explaining why at his weekly presser, Peters claimed that it would have been disrespectful to the position of England head coach to take on the role only for the World Cup and then depart.
“That job, I want to give it the respect it deserves,” he explained, noting: “I would have loved to coach England if I was picked, but that needs a lot of time and you need to invest in it properly.
“I would have loved to be that person to coach England, but now the most important thing for me is Hull KR and investing in all my time into KR and then naturally towards the back end of the year, then it’ll be with the Chiefs because there’s a lot of work to do there.”
Hull KR boss explains why England role wasn’t the ‘right thing to do’
With Peters setting his 2027 focus towards building a full roster and staff for the Chiefs, he felt unable to commit to England beyond 2026, something he felt would not be the ‘right thing to do’ anyway.
Peters said: “If I was selected to be the coach, I didn’t want to do a World Cup and then pull out next year and disrespect that job. That’s not the right thing to do.
“What England needs is a coach that’s got a vision, yes, for the World Cup, but obviously after that and making sure that the Rugby League team is in a strong position and there’s some really, really good candidates who I’m sure will definitely do a great job.”
The Robins coach was also asked about his successor and if he would have any say in that, confirming that CEO Paul Lakin has spoken briefly with him on the matter.
Peters said: “I’ve got a really close relationship with Paul Lakin, so we’ve had conversations and he let me know what sort of coach he’s looking for.
“If he asks questions and wants more input, I’ll certainly give that because I want this club to do well for the next 20 plus, 30 plus, 40 years. I want this club to be successful and there’s great people involved in the club, and there’s great foundations in place now for future success.”
One thing that Peters is sure of is that there will be plenty of interested candidates, as he said: “It’s a job that’s going to be in demand. There’s going to be a lot of candidates putting their hand up to coach KR next year, and rightly so.
“It’s a job that I love and I love doing and will continue to love doing until my last day but at the moment, I’m head coach and I’m proud to be the head coach.”
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