England boss confirms assistant roles for Wigan Warriors and St Helens icons - 'They've been awesome'
Wigan Warriors assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin will be part of England’s coaching staff at this year’s Rugby League World Cup
England head coach Brian McDermott has confirmed Wigan Warriors legend Sean O’Loughlin and St Helens icon Paul Wellens will be his assistants at this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup.
The pair have been working alongside McDermott in recent months as England continue their preparations for the tournament in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
O’Loughlin has been part of the coaching staff at Wigan since retiring from playing at the end of 2020, having made 459 appearances for his hometown club and captained them to major honours.
Wellens, meanwhile, joined the coaching staff at North Queensland Cowboys ahead of this season after spending three years as head coach of boyhood club St Helens.
McDermott has already been working closely with the pair as he prepares to lead England into the World Cup, with the trio regularly discussing key areas ahead of the tournament.
“We’ve had a lot of contact - Paul Wellens, Sean O’Loughlin and I, for sure,” said McDermott.
“We jump on a Teams call, and we’ve had a ton of phone calls just us three together, talking about squads, tactics, defensive strategies, state of the game – everything we’ve covered.
“I’ve shared some phone calls with Lockers individually, as I have with Wello, and they’ve been great.
“You’ve got to bear in mind that they’ve been two of the best players we’ve produced as a country, and arguably, they have been two of the better performers internationally that we’ve produced. No matter whether the game has been won or lost, those two have always come out of the international arena with their heads held high.
“I’ve learned a ton from them over the last few months about rep football and international football, and the mentality towards World Cup squads and how things should be done.”
McDermott also praised the pair for the contribution they have made so far despite both holding full-time coaching positions at their respective clubs.
O’Loughlin remains part of the Wigan setup, while Wellens is now working in the NRL with the Cowboys.
“They’ve been very helpful and very respectful,” McDermott added. “They’re both full-time, Wello with the Cowboys and Lockers with Wigan, so I’ve got to be careful about (not) texting them at 2am in the morning or 2pm in the afternoon and asking for Zoom calls.
“They’re not really getting paid for it (the calls and virtual meetings), which hasn’t really been a problem for them at all, they’ve never mentioned it. I’ve been mindful of leaning on them too much really, but they’ve been great, they’ve been awesome.”
O’Loughlin and Wellens will be remunerated for their work with England during the World Cup. England kick off their World Cup campaign against Tonga in Perth on October 17.