James Graham addresses England rumours as Brian McDermott backed to succeed Shaun Wane

Former England international James Graham has thrown his support behind Brian McDermott to succeed Shaun Wane as head coach of the national side, while admitting he doesn’t have enough ‘runs on the board’ to take up a post in the wider coaching group. 

His comments come after ex-head coach Wayne Bennett tipped a partnership of Sam Burgess and Graham to take the reins of the Test side, with Burgess serving as head coach and Graham as an assistant.

“Sam is one of the best players I’ve worked with, and James Graham was outstanding during my time with him as England coach,” Bennett told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Their passion was unbelievable, and they brought the English team a long way from where they had been. They were committed guys, great footballers, and through their leadership on and off the field, they made my job so much easier.

“They’re young, they’ve got an eye for the game, and I know what they’re made of. Sam is coaching at the moment, so James could be an assistant.

“You just want them involved because they care and they have the respect of everybody who played during their era.”

‘My first instinct would be no’

But despite being touted to make a difference within the England group come the World Cup, Graham has yet again downplayed any talk of him joining the coaching staff, admitting he feels it would be an injustice.

“It’s an interesting one, what makes a good representative coach, because you’re not having to coach in its purist form, you’re setting up an environment,” he said on the Bye Round Podcast. “My experience of representative football is setting up an environment and picking the right team.

“I’ve not been approached by anyone, and my first instinct would be no. I don’t feel I’ve got the runs on the board to take on such a serious job in such a serious tournament. Part of me feels like I would be doing an injustice, and that’s the initial, genuine response. I care about England’s chances of winning, and me being in camp, is that a bit selfish?”

However, he jokingly admitted to daydreaming about the prospect of working alongside Burgess.

“We all daydream about what we do and don’t do, and I’ve been half daydreaming about me and Sam (Burgess) just getting after each other.”

‘He would be my choice’

While we will likely not see Graham take up a post within the coaching staff come the World Cup later this year, he has tipped McDermott to step in and fill the ‘void’ created by the departure of Wane earlier this month.

“Initially, I was shocked he (Wane) stepped down. I thought what Shaun Wane was building there was enough.

“Ashes series, results-wise, not good; but was the expectation of England rugby league too high? Maybe yes. The performances, thinking back, there’s not much about England’s performances, with the players that are available, I don’t know what more could be done.

“Would he have liked more attacking football and troubled the Australian defence? Yes. Were there some players left out of the team that could have affected that in a more positive way? Potentially yes. But still, this has left a void with only nine or 10 months before the World Cup.”

“Personally, I think Brian McDermott should get the job. He would be my choice.”

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