Wane's future under review, says RFL boss

England head coach Shaun Wane's future will be decided "in the fullness of time", the Rugby Football League's most powerful figure has told BBC Sport.

Nigel Wood, senior executive director of the RFL, confirmed that Wane's future is under review after England were beaten 3-0 by Australia in the Rugby League Ashes.

Wane himself was asked after defeat in last Saturday's third and final Test if he believed he was the man to lead England into next autumn's World Cup and said: "I don't believe - I know I am."

But when asked the same question, Wood declined to give his backing, replying, "We will review all of that, like we always do.

"This isn't a kind of public examination of any of the coaches.

"We will review that in the fullness of time when the reports are received like we do at the end of every international series."

He said that the process was likely to take two to three months, with the RFL board then deciding whether to keep the coach in place.

When pressed on whether he could give any more clarity on Wane's future, Wood said: "There's nothing guaranteed on anything in life, is it? At the end of the day, as we always do, the RFL will seek the feedback from those around the camp and make a judgement in the fullness of time."

Wane's contract as England head coach runs until the end of next year's World Cup

England, who managed to score just two tries in the series, are not set to play again until the World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea next year.

Wane is contracted until the end of the tournament and captain George Williams said there is unanimous support for him among his players.

The 61-year-old coach took the England job in 2020, and led them to a World Cup semi-final in 2022.

Since then, the former Wigan boss has won 14 of his 19 matches in charge.

But his position has come under heavy scrutiny during the course of the humbling Ashes series whitewash, with world champions Australia winning at Wembley, Hill Dickinson Stadium and AMT Headingley.

"I think he's certainly instilled a sense of pride. I think the players have come out and said quite openly that they've enjoyed the camp," added Wood when asked about the job Wane has done.

He described the gap to Australia as "very bridgeable" although said of the recent series: "I don't think even our fiercest supporter would say that we deserved to get much more than we did."

Asked how England might bridge that gap, Wood said: "Playing against the best in the world on a regular basis will harden our players.

"I think there's something probably in the coaching that we need to look at. We need to make sure we've got the most up-to-date coaching - we need to look at our production of younger players as well... there are more young athletes playing rugby league in Penrith [on the western edge of Sydney] than there are in the whole of England, so there is a player supply issue."

Wood - who was previously chief executive of both the RFL and the sport's international federation - insisted the first Ashes series since 2003 had been "very good for rugby league, albeit not very good for England in terms of on-field performance".

"I think we need to remember that we've had 130,000 people through the turnstiles... so notwithstanding a disappointing on-field result, I think from a tournament perspective all the indicators have been really strong," he added.

Wood open to NRL investment in Super League

Wood has indicated that he is open to the possibility of Australia's NRL taking a stake in Super League, saying that the option of investment is "on the table", and that "it's important that the two leagues collaborate as fully as possible".

Peter V'landys, chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission, the NRL's parent body, told BBC Sport last month that it was looking at possible investment in Super League.

However, he was also critical of the way elite English rugby league is being run, suggesting it was heading for a "train crash" if it did not find ways to increase its revenue.

"I don't necessarily share that opinion," said Wood, who returned to the RFL in June, following a period of governance upheaval in the sport.

"I've probably never been more optimistic about what Super League looks like... we've got a terrific opportunity to reset the course for the league.

"There's no real issue between the RFL and the NRL," he added. "We both want what's best for rugby league... and obtaining a greater understanding of the collaboration that's available is vital to all parties.

"It's not the RFL versus the NRL, it's rugby league versus the rest of sport, really."

The RFL and officials from a number of Super League clubs held talks with V'landys last month. with Wood describing it as "good, progressive and very optimistic meeting".

Pressed on whether the sport had to be cautious about selling a stake to the NRL and ceding too much control, Wood said: "It needs a lot of careful thought. Rugby league in this country is not on its knees. It's got the strongest ownership group that I can ever remember."

But he suggested that such a deal was preferable to the kind of private equity investment that English rugby union has accepted.

"I think the advantage of a relationship with the NRL is that everybody should be coming to the table trying to get the same outcome, which is for rugby league to be in the strongest possible position in a crowded global sports marketplace," he said.

"The challenge with private equity is that there's a more hard-nosed commercial imperative. So instinctively you would think a 'sweetheart arrangement' with the other major league on the planet should offer more opportunities than a more third-party remote investment."

Super League's Grand Final was watched by a crowd of almost 69,000, the highest attendance since 2017, with TV viewing figures up 22% on last year. However, the central money each club receives has decreased over recent years with the competition's TV deal falling from £40m to about £21m per year. The current deal is due to come to an end at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

V'landys also questioned the decision to expand the top flight from 12 to 14 clubs from the start of next season. Bradford Bulls were promoted last month at the expense of Salford Red Devils under the competition's grading system, and Toulouse and York selected to join them by an independent panel.

"Virtually unanimously people think that's a progressive step that opens up new markets, and demonstrates that... we've got a growth agenda," Wood countered. "I don't think it's a fair charge to say that it's been done recklessly and without proper planning."