Brad Arthur keen on England head coach role as interest heats up

Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur is interested in the vacant England head coach position.

The Rugby Football League is on the lookout for the next coach to take on the role after Shaun Wane stepped away from the position last week.

And Love Rugby League understands that Arthur is keen to explore the possibility of taking on the position ahead of the World Cup later this year.

Arthur has done an impressive job since arriving at Headingley, taking them to the play-offs last year having missed out in back-to-back years before that.

Sources have indicated that the governing body want to make the role part-time and are keen to appoint an existing head coach so it is a dual-role moving forward.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has been made the early favourite amid reports from the Yorkshire Post that he is interested in the vacancy, while other Super League coaches are also expected to be keen too.

Arthur, 51, has vast experience in the domestic game after more than a decade as head coach of Parramatta Eels, taking charge of 264 NRL games and taking them to the Grand Final in 2022.

Since joining Leeds, he has won 24 of his 40 matches, a win percentage of 60%. The Rhinos finished fourth in his first full season in charge.

The RFL are keen to make an appointment in the coming weeks to ensure preparations for the World Cup can commence before the tournament in October.

England have been drawn to play Tonga, France and Papua New Guinea in the tournament, with the game against Tonga likely to be crucial in their hopes of securing qualification to the semi-finals.

Wane left his role after discussions with the RFL last week. It came after a Test series whitewash at hands of Australia, who won the series 3-0.