Wayne Bennett is not the right man for Great Britain and England, insists Phil Clarke

Drew Darbyshire

Phil Clarke strongly believes that the Rugby Football League should not offer a new contract to Wayne Bennett. 

Bennett’s contract as Great Britain and England has now expired after the Lions lost in Papua New Guinea on Saturday.

The RFL will hold talks with Bennett in the coming weeks over his future as England coach.

Clarke told Sky Sports: “Wayne Bennett does not seem to follow the Super League or game in this country enough.

“If you showed him photos of the 12 head coaches and asked him to name them all I am not sure he could do it.

“I am not sure that he knows who all of the players are over here either and I hear stories from Down Under which suggest he does not watch many of the games in Super League.

“His interviews are boring and his style of rugby is the same. We need a coach who is prepared to talk up the game and try to help sell it. He talks about getting into the grind and wearing down our opponents, and that hardly excites me to want to watch.

‘The fact that he would not play the game and talk positively about Great Britain and the Lions was another example of why he is not the right man to help rugby league over here.”


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