New RFL chair Nigel Wood unveils interview panel for appointment of England Head Coach

In the first full week of his tenure as RFL Chair, Nigel Wood OBE, has today provided an update on the process for the appointment of the next England Head Coach.  

A panel will soon convene to interview candidates and recommend to the RFL Board their preferred candidate in the next few weeks.  

The panel will consist of former England captain Kevin Sinfield CBE, who won the 2012 Golden Boot as the world’s best player, new RFL Non-Executive Director Sara Symington, interim RFL Chief Executive Abi Ekoku and Wood, with RFL Executive Director of Performance & Participation Marc Lovering offering support.  

Wood, who is also Chair of RL Commercial, said: “We are entering a crucial time as we bid to secure the right person to lead England’s men’s team into the upcoming World Cup. 

“It is an exciting period for the sport, especially given how our athletes have already made such excellent starts to the new Super League season. 

“The autumn’s Ashes series whetted the appetite for international rugby league and everyone here is looking forward to the prospect of heading to Australia at the end of this campaign for the 17th edition of the World Cup. 

“We have had applications and enquiries from a wide-range of world-class coaches, from both here and in the NRL.   

“With the aid of our newly-assembled panel, we will now conduct interviews to narrow down our short-list in readiness to find the ideal candidate.”  

England are looking for a new Head Coach after Shaun Wane made the decision to step aside in January following the Ashes series defeat to Australia and after a six-year period in charge. 

The role will be part-time and initially just to cover the World Cup where England open against Tonga in Perth on October 20.  

On the panel, Wood said: “On the back of his incredible career with Leeds Rhinos, Kevin Sinfield represented his country on more than 40 occasions, captaining England in the 2013 World Cup, and serving as rugby director four years later when the national side reached the World Cup final in Brisbane.   

“His knowledge, expertise and input will be invaluable as we undertake this important appointment.  

“As a double Olympian in cycling, Sara Symington knows all about competing on the world stage.  

“She has since worked as a performance advisor for UK Sport and reached medal targets when leading high-performance programmes with Archery GB, England Netball and UK Athletics before heading British Cycling’s Olympics and Paralympics programme for three years through the Paris 2024 cycle. 

“Abi Ekoku has experience as Great Britain’s Team Manager when travelling down under, including for the famous 2006 Tri-Nations win over world champions Australia in Sydney, and we are all enthused by the calibre of the candidates we'll now assess.”