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New England head coach Brian McDermott supports Jake Connor's inclusion in the World Cup squad and criticizes the unfair treatment he received under former coach Shaun Wane.
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Brian McDermott, the new England head coach, has insisted that Super Leagueâs reigning Man of Steel, Jake Connor, is central to his plans for this yearâs World Cup, before appearing to attack the treatment of the Leeds Rhinos half-back by his predecessor Shaun Wane.
McDermott was unveiled on Thursday as Englandâs coach on a short-term deal for the tournament in Australia this autumn. The former Leeds and London coach is now working in the NRL as an assistant for Gold Coast Titans and saw off competition from Sam Burgess to be named as Waneâs successor.
The buildup to last yearâs Ashes, which proved to be Waneâs final series in charge, was overshadowed by his decision to omit Connor despite him being crowned Super Leagueâs best player in 2025. Wane insisted that selection was ânot difficultâ and insisted he paid no attention to accolades like the Man of Steel, with Connor consistently overlooked to the bemusement of many.
But McDermott has seemingly confirmed he will include Connor in his World Cup squad this year while also calling out the treatment the 31-year-old received. âYeah, he is [in my plans] for sure,â McDermott said. âAbsolutely. The rhetoric around Jake was tremendously unfair.
âI understand where he comes from in that heâs liked by some and disliked by others. Thatâs the nature of the game. We can sit around the table and debate whether heâs a nice person but thatâs not a fair rhetoric to be made public. You canât argue heâs a fantastic player, heâs a brilliant player â heâs a game-breaker.â

Brian McDermott says Jake Connor is âa fantastic player, a brilliant playerâ. Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA
Having been beaten 3-0 in the Ashes and with just three training sessions planned together before their opening game of the World Cup against Tonga in October, expectations are unsurprisingly low for England this autumn. But McDermott, Super Leagueâs most successful coach, has a different view.
âThe gap is bridgeable but youâve got to have a plan specific to UK-based players, the level of preparation theyâre going to have and our competition,â he said. âWe can win it; absolutely we can win it â but we have to do some things differently.
Shaun Wane omitted Jake Connor despite him being the Super League's reigning Man of Steel, claiming that selection was 'not difficult' and disregarding individual accolades.
Brian McDermott described the treatment of Jake Connor as 'tremendously unfair' and confirmed that Connor is central to his plans for the upcoming World Cup.
Brian McDermott is the new head coach of the England rugby league team, appointed on a short-term deal for the World Cup in Australia this autumn.
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âIn the Ashes, we pushed them all the way and they were rattled in parts of games. We just didnât do it for long enough. Weâre going to have to be really well connected and have a bond together. It canât just be grabbing hold of the badge and shouting aggressively so the optics look good. Weâre talking about true connection and a true bond.â