Nigel Wood has said there have not been any discussions with the England coach, Steve McNamara, about a new contract but stressed both parties are “at peace” with where they are at the moment.
The chief executive officer of the Rugby Football League outlined the strategy for the game up to 2021 at a media briefing this week, in which plans for the national team were discussed at length.
The RFL has targeted a World Cup victory in Australia in 2017, as well as winning every home series until 2021, starting with the three-Test series against New Zealand later this year.
At the end of that series, McNamara’s deal expires. The 43-year-old, who has been in the job since 2010, is in Australia at present working with the NRL side Sydney Roosters. Wood said that while the RFL is in regular contact with the coach there has been no need to discuss contracts just yet.
“Steve and the RFL have a terrific relationship and there’s no intention to discuss that with him in the immediate term,” Wood said. “I speak to Steve on a monthly basis and both he and I are at peace with where we are at the moment. There is going to be mid-season activity and he’s going to be coming over in the middle of the year to do something with the squad.”
On the ambitious objectives for the England side, Wood said: “I’ve been talking to the chief executive of another sport and of their 21 key performance indicators, the one that wasn’t delivering was the national team. If the national team is underperforming than that will be used as a stick to beat the sport.
“We have to be brave to put these objectives in the spotlight. The litmus test for our game is the performance of the national team and it’s a brave thing to say but I believe our national teams are performing well and we should rightly set the bar high.”
Wood confirmed England will play a warmup fixture with France before the autumn series against the Kiwis. The future of the game in France is another talking point in itself.
The leading French side Toulouse have indicated they would like to rejoin the English league structure, having left at the end of 2011 to return to their domestic league. Wood admitted there is an appetite from Toulouse to come back but said it is unlikely they would be fast-tracked into Super League immediately alongside their fellow French side Catalans Dragons.
“We recognise we need a strong France in this game. One way or another we have to try to create in France what New Zealand and Australia have with each other,” he said. “Getting international quality opposition at the moment is tough, because it involves a 12,000-mile trip. We’re working with the French but they have to take responsibility for what goes on in that country.
“Toulouse do want to come in, they’ve made that clear, but in essence it’s dependent on a viable business plan. I can’t imagine the circumstances where they would come into the top 12 immediately at all.”
Super League is without a presence in the capital for the first time in its history this year, after the relegation of London Broncos.
Some club chairmen, notably Wigan’s Ian Lenagan, have been vocal about taking a game of Super League on the road this year, with London a likely destination for any such match, given the absence of a top-flight team in the city.
Wood revealed that while there is support at the RFL for those plans, it is a decision and a move that would have to be driven by the clubs, as opposed to the governing body.
He said: “That’s a club-instigated initiative and is something that we’re very supportive of indeed. I think if you look at what’s gone on in the sport over the last few years.
“We wouldn’t compel teams to do it but we’d certainly welcome it. Having a strong presence in the capital can only be good for rugby league in all honesty.”
