Whether England’s series victory against New Zealand proves to be a breakthrough will be dictated by subsequent performances. But with the world’s No1 side disposed of and a clutch of talented young players ready to lead the England team into a critical couple of years, the future undoubtedly looks bright.
But the problem for them is the small matter of who will be coaching the side in next year’s Four Nations and the World Cup in 2017. Steve McNamara is out of contract after his first major success in six years as coach and, although he has the backing of the players, there is little clarity regarding direction from the Rugby Football League.
It would be hard to imagine England disposing of McNamara after ending several years of near-misses by beating New Zealand but the 44-year-old’s insistence on not discussing his future until after the series has left a cloud of doubt over the situation. Even with the 2-1 victory secured McNamara would not give any hints about his future.
“It’s the same as before,” he said. “We always said we’d get the tournaments out of the way, then sit down and assess it and I’ll now speak to the relevant people involved. It’s a huge honour to represent your country and we all feel strongly about it – players, coaches and backroom staff. It is the finest thing that you can possibly do, but these issues are something I’ll deal with post-tournament. These things aren’t simple and I’m in no rush.”
If a new deal is forthcoming, McNamara will be in charge of arguably England’s most exciting squad in a generation. There is depth in all areas of the player pool, epitomised by both those who were absent this year as well the ones who made their debut. Whoever is their coach next year will be able to call on Alex Walmsley, George Burgess and the small matter of big brother Sam, all of whom were unavailable for England this year for various reasons.
The Huddersfield winger Jermaine McGillvary – Super League’s top try-scorer in 2015 – came into the side on Saturday and caught the eye with an impressive debut. “It was everything I dreamed of plus more,” McGillvary said. “It was unreal to play in a packed out stadium on my debut and win some silverware. It’s crazy. I can’t believe it.
“There’s no guarantee I’ll be in the next England squad,” he continued, referencing the depth England possess in his position. “The goal for me now is to have a break away from rugby then get back into pre-season with Huddersfield. That’s my main concern – if I don’t play well for Huddersfield I won’t be in the England squad.
“Just being with the boys has whetted my appetite. I didn’t think I was going to play when I got into the squad, but because I was training day-in, day-out with them. But Steve told me on Tuesday I’d make my debut and I think I took the opportunity well.”
The final word should go to McNamara who, if given a contract through to the World Cup in two years as expected, is fully aware of how much potential this England squad has. “We’ve got quality and experience to add to this group too,” he said. “We’ve got a young bunch in there who are ready to play for a number of years, so the signs are strong for us moving forward, particularly having now won this series.”
Successes for England have been few and far between in recent years. That makes this series cause for not just celebration in the immediate term, but optimism in the long term. Whether McNamara is the man steering the group forward remains to be seen but the events of the past few weeks have put him in pole position to be coach in 2016 and beyond.
England Hardaker; McGillvary, Watkins, Bateman, Hall; Widdop, Smith; Graham, Hodgson, Hill, Whitehead, Farrell, O’Loughlin (capt). Interchange Roby, T Burgess, Cooper, Ferres.
Tries Whitehead 2, O’Loughlin. Goals Widdop 4.
New Zealand Tuivasa-Sheck; Nightingale, Kahu, Whare, Kenny-Dowall; Hiku, Nikorima; Bromwich, Luke (capt), Moa, Proctor, Harris, Blair. Interchange Taupau, Matulino, Glenn, Brown.
Tries Nightingale, Tuivasa-Sheck, Kahu. Goal Luke.
Referee B Thaler (Eng). Attendance 24,741
