Shaun Wane eyes Exiles revival following scrapping of Ashes

Shaun Wane insists there will be no excuses for World Cup failure next year - despite the Ashes being scrapped.

England were due to face Australia this autumn but, not surprisingly, the series has fallen victim to the coronavirus crisis which has disrupted the sport.

Former Wigan chief Wane is now facing the prospect of not coaching within his first year of his appointment in charge of the England set-up.

He is hoping to arrange a camp for his national squad later this year – and a mid-season match in 2021, possibly against the Exiles, a team of Super League’s best overseas players.

But he waved away concerns England will be underdone by the time they go into next year’s World Cup, or that his players won’t have had enough time to adjust to his coaching methods.

He said: “I will never say I’m disadvantaged if we don’t have games.

“I’d like to have a game this season, I’d like a game next season, I’d like a scrimmage game with our Knights – it’ll let us focus on areas we want to focus on.

“But if we can’t have games, we’ll try and have training camps, if we can’t have camps, we’ll have sessions on days – and we’ll make them the best quality for those players.

“I’ll never make excuses for what happens. It’s about us, the staff, the players, adapting to what we’ve got.

“I need to get together quite a bit with the players so I can deliver information.

“The players will see footage and small things in their games that I want those habits as England players.

“The head coaches of the Super League clubs have given me access to the players and, as long as they deliver the actions that I want to see, we don’t need loads of games (before the World Cup).”

Wane says reviving the Exiles concept – which ran from 2011 -13 – would satisfy him.

“I just want to play, and get coaching and do what I do best,” he said. “But you look at the quality of players here, the Exiles would be a great test.

“The other day I picked an Exiles team and it’d be as good as any Test team. It’d be great for fans over here, but I know a lot of things can happen so if there’s a chance.

“If it’s in Dubai, Wigan, St Helens, I’m not bothered. The higher quality the better. That would suit me.”

He admits he would “struggle” without a game or series this year, saying he plans to keep as busy as he can, and on the Ashes’ cancellation he said: “I’m devastated this is off, but it is what it is. There are bigger, more important things going on.”