Brian McDermott lands England head coach role

Brian McDermott will coach England at the World Cup, Love Rugby League can reveal.

McDermott, the most successful coach in Super League history after winning four Grand Finals with Leeds Rhinos, has been selected by a panel to coach the country in this year’s tournament, after overcoming a five-man field for the role.

Brad Arthur, Sam Burgess, Steve McNamara and Paul Rowley were all interviewed as part of the process, but it is McDermott, currently an assistant coach at NRL club Gold Coast Titans, who convinced a panel featuring RFL Chair Nigel Wood and McDermott’s former Leeds captain, Kevin Sinfield, that he was the candidate to take them forward.

The contract will run through to the end of the World Cup before a decision is made on the long-term future of the role.

McDermott, who played for England and Great Britain as a player, played 250 times for Bradford Bulls before turning to coaching, initially playing roles at Huddersfield and Leeds in the backroom staff. He was appointed as Harlequins’ head coach in 2006 and remained there until securing a return to Headingley in 2011.

It was with the Rhinos where McDermott carved out the best moments of his coaching career. In eight seasons, he won four Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups, a League Leaders’ Shield and the World Club Challenge. He was coach of the iconic 2015 side that won the treble.

After leaving the Rhinos in 2018, McDermott joined Toronto Wolfpack, helping them secure promotion to Super League in 2019. He remained there until their demise in 2020. He subsequently coached Featherstone Rovers for a short period between 2021 and 2022 before departing to Australia. He went to the NRL as an assistant coach at Newcastle Knights before moving to Gold Coast Titans ahead of the 2026 season.

An official announcement will be made on Thursday.