Shaun Wane says failing to win 2021 World Cup would be 'disaster'

The former Wigan boss has been appointed as the successor to Australian Wayne Bennett on a two-year contract which takes in this year's Ashes Series with the touring Kangaroos and next year's World Cup.

Bennett guided England to a first World Cup final for 25 years but Wane insists there was nothing to celebrate after they went down to a 6-0 defeat by Australia and he is determined to go one better.

"The fact is we can't celebrate getting to a World Cup final," he told the Inside Super League programme shown on Sky Sports.

"If I don't get to a World Cup final and win, it's a disaster.

"We didn't win that World Cup final and we keep hearing celebrations about getting there.

"We haven't beaten Australia for a long time and I'm embarrassed by that. And if we don't beat them, it's on me."

The former Wigan prop guided his home-town team to three Super League titles in seven years and is confident he can transfer that domestic success onto the international stage.

"It's achievable," he said. "I feel like I know what I'm doing, I know how to prepare teams and how to win one-off games and how to get players to buy into what I'm about.

"I need to do it in a different way because I don't get the players that often, so I need to be a lot smarter in what I deliver."

Wane, 55, spent just over a year in Scottish Rugby Union after leaving Wigan at the end of the 2018 season and reveals he developed close links with England RU head coach Eddie Jones as he pondered his options.

"While I was in Scotland, I made it my business, like I always do, to meet the best people and me and Eddie were swapping texts," he said.

"I'm really interested in what he's doing and he's interested in what I've been doing.

"Jon Clarke is there with England now and he's a good friend of mine.

"So it was an interesting few weeks before I got this job, because I was very close to staying in Scotland."

Wane, who has yet to appoint his assistants, said he would not have taken the England job had it not been full-time and says he would be interested in returning to a role in Super League in the future.