England's new head coach, Brian McDermott, is determined to devise a strategy to end Australia's long-standing dominance and secure England's first Rugby League World Cup title. McDermott, who was appointed as the successor to Shaun Wane, believes that the gap between England and Australia can be bridged and that England can take the final step to win the World Cup.
McDermott emphasized the need for a specific plan tailored to British-based players and a team that largely comes from a competition different from the NRL. He drew an analogy with Tyson Fury's victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, where Fury used an unorthodox game plan to outmaneuver his opponent. McDermott stressed that England must do things differently to win and that he is committed to taking the team to the next level.
With the World Cup opener against Tonga on October 17 approaching, McDermott will focus on assembling his coaching staff and contacting players. He will carry out these duties from Australia, where he remains an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Titans. McDermott played down concerns about taking the England job on a part-time basis and expressed his desire to stay on long-term.
He also extended an olive branch to Super League Man of Steel Jake Connor, who was controversially omitted by Wane for last year's Ashes, stating that Connor is part of his World Cup plans.