Kevin Sinfield is among the interview panel advising on England’s next head coach to replace Shaun Wane, who stepped down in January after a six-year spell in charge following England’s whitewash defeat to Australia in last autumn’s Ashes.
The panel will comprise Sinfield, 2012 Golden Boot winner and former England captain, new Rugby Football League (RFL) non-executive director Sara Symington, interim RFL chief executive Abi Ekoku and RFL chair Nigel Wood, with RFL executive director of performance and participation Marc Lovering offering support.
“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,” Wood said. “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.”
The head coach role will initially be part-time to cover the World Cup, with England opening against Tonga on October 20, followed by matches against France and Papua New Guinea. Wood added that the autumn’s Ashes had increased appetite for international rugby league and confirmed there have been applications and enquiries from a wide range of world-class coaches, both in the UK and the NRL. The newly assembled panel will conduct interviews to narrow the shortlist and identify the ideal candidate.
2026 Super League – key dates and what to look out for
– Rivals Round: April 3–5
– Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6 — Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK
– Magic Weekend: July 4–5
– Rivals Round reversed: July 23–26
– Elimination Play-offs: September 19–20
– Play-off semi-finals: September 26–27
– Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford
Sky Sports will again show every Super League game live this season, including exclusive live matches and additional coverage via Sky Sports+.