It would be a step too far to suggest England expects, rather than England hopes when it comes to their chances in this autumn’s Four Nations, but the presence, profile and ability of both the side’s new captain, Sam Burgess, and its new coach, Wayne Bennett, perhaps best epitomises the feeling of excitement around the team this year.
In a strange sort of way, the margin of the 20-18 defeat to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the World Cup three years ago feels narrower now than it did then. That afternoon, England were seconds from the final before a try from Shaun Johnson denied them a first appearance there for almost two decades.
“I remember it well,” says Burgess. “Having the chance with England is special enough and it’s probably one of the greatest Test matches I have been a part of – but losing it how we did, there were so many mixed emotions.”
That remains Burgess’s last game in an England rugby league shirt following his ill-fated stint in rugby union but that will change on Saturday when he captains the side in their opening fixture against New Zealand.
In previous years, tournaments like these have been about the superstar names in the Kangaroo and Kiwi squads but this year the spotlight falls firmly on Burgess and Bennett, both of whom are expected to steer England into the world’s top two. Burgess, in particular, perhaps has something to prove after his foray into union. He admits he is happy to be back in a league shirt for England.
“The reality of the situation and my time in rugby union is not actually that bad,” says Burgess. “The way it played out in the media, it was sensationalised a little bit. That’s done now though. I’m excited to come back and represent my country at rugby league – the game I grew up playing.”
With Bennett in charge, England have a realistic chance of glory this year. The most successful coach in the sport’s history assumes control with many believing the 66-year-old can be the man who finally encourages the national side to produce. Those who know him best acknowledge he is an impressive coup.
“I think they’ll be very strong, a very tough side to beat, especially with Wayne taking over,” says the Australia full-back Greg Inglis. “He gets that extra 1% out of his teams, and I’m sure he’ll bring that to England.” His coach, Mal Meninga, agrees with him: “With Wayne at the helm, they are dangerous.”
Bennett’s experience will undoubtedly be crucial, but the talent he has at his disposal – this is potentially England’s most gifted squad in a generation – makes success all the more possible.
However the world’s top two – New Zealand and Australia – arrive with points to prove of their own. For the latter, there is the goal of reclaiming first place in the world rankings before next year’s World Cup, having surrendered it to the Kiwis 18 months ago.
Their travelling squad has the usual raft of big names but there is also a youthful, exuberant look to their team this year, with burgeoning talents like Valentine Holmes and Josh Mansour bona fide Kangaroo superstars in waiting.
“We have the motivation that winning this takes us back to being No1,” says Inglis. “It’s been spoken about but not too much. This is a great squad we’ve got, there’s some real battles for all the jerseys that are on offer. It’s a new-look group and one I’m excited to play with.”
New Zealand, for their part, know they can be usurped at the top this autumn. In their past five Tests – three of which have been played against England, two against Australia – they have won only once, a 9-2 victory over England. Meanwhile, their record in England over the past decade is poor, with their last tournament victory on British soil the 2005 Tri-Nations.
That form, according to the Kiwis’ half-back Thomas Leuluai, has to change. “We haven’t performed well over here for a long time,” he says. “It’s something that we’ve been angry about, coming over here and not playing well. It’s over 10 years since we’ve won something here, we haven’t produced that form since and that’s something we need to change.”
Scotland’s squad is possibly as strong as it has ever been but with a mixture of full and part-time players, their expectations are more tempered than the leading trio as they look to build for next year’s World Cup.
“Success would be us doing the best we can, being competitive in every game and coming away with our heads held high and putting Scottish rugby league on the map,” says the Scotland wing Dave Scott.
It means that, three years on from coming so desperately close to reaching the World Cup final, England are perhaps better placed than ever to trouble the status quo at the top of international rugby league.
Quite what victory at Anfield next month would do for the profile of the sport in this country is anyone’s guess but it would go a long way to proving that lifting the World Cup next year is not as far-fetched a possibility as it once was – particularly with Burgess, Bennett et al involved.
