Wane confirms England assistants

England Head Coach Shaun Wane has confirmed Andy Last and Paul Wellens will come onto the England Coaching Staff as his assistants.

Wane has been in the job since January, and had been yet to announce any changes to the coaching setup at England.

Last is currently the interim Head Coach at Hull FC, and will also bring international experience to the role, having been part of the Scotland set up recently.

Meanwhile, Wellens is currently an assistant at St Helens, having spent all of his playing career there. He comes back to the England setup, having previously worked as an assistant under Wayne Bennett for the 2017 World Cup and the 2018 series against New Zealand.

Wane commented on the appointments: “These are two important appointments for me, and I’m delighted to have Andy and Paul on board. They are both vastly experienced, and they are the sort of characters I want to have involved with my England set-up.”

The news also means Danny Ward and Ian Watson, who were Bennett’s assistants for the Great Britain tour last year, will not be part of the setup this time. The RFL placed on record their thanks to both for their efforts in the role.

Jamie Peacock has also stepped down as Team Manager, and will be replaced by Colin Maskill.

RFL CEO Ralph Rimmer said: “We paid tribute to Kevin Sinfield and the immense contribution he had made to the England Performance Unit when he stepped down in January. And it is right that we do likewise for Danny Ward, Ian Watson and Jamie Peacock for their efforts with Great Britain last autumn. And in Jamie’s case stretching back several years with England and Great Britain.

“They have all made a significant contribution, for which we are grateful. I know they were all proud to work with the national team, and I hope they feel the experience was beneficial as well as enjoyable.”