BY ROSS HEPPENSTALL
Shaun Wane says he cannot understand Hull FC chairman Adam Pearson’s objection to England’s mid-season international against the newly-formed Combined Nations All Stars.
Wane will take charge of his first game since becoming England boss in Warrington on Friday, 25 June and the fixture will follow the England women’s game with Wales.
The games are seen as vital preparation ahead of the World Cup on home soil later this year.
Yet Pearson has warned he may not allow the club’s overseas players to be released to represent the Combined Nations All Stars, saying last week: “I cannot commit to allowing my exile players to play.”
The match is being played on the same weekend as a round of Super League fixtures and Wane said of Pearson’s opposition to the international: “Adam has known about this for 12 months so to then come out and say what he’s said, I don’t understand.
“I spoke to him, I have spoken to Brett (Hodgson), and asked if anyone had a problem or a question – and nobody has said a word.
“To say that in the paper, I don’t understand it. It’s not how I do things.
“I’m hoping the clubs will understand the big picture.
“The majority of people I speak to dead-set understand that a successful World Cup campaign – and what that will do for the game in general – is unbelievable.”
Wane expressed his disappointed that the mid-season game in Warrington will not be played as a stand-alone fixture.
The former Wigan head coach says he has spent the past year building relationships with “most of the coaches” in Super League as England seek to win a World Cup on home soil.
Wane added: “I’m disappointed, definitely. It’s an international weekend and I wanted a stand-alone fixture.
“We didn’t get that, simple as, and that’s disappointing.
“But the clubs as a whole have been really, really behind us in every way they can.
“I’ll do everything I can to not put clubs under pressure at teams like Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and potentially Hull, who are going to have a lot of players in this game.
“If James Roby is absolutely killing the competition – and an absolute dead-set certainty for the World Cup – then I’ll have a look at another hooker.
“If I can help out St Helens, Warrington and Hull, I will do that because that’s the relationship we’ve got with most of the head coaches.”
Wane confirmed England are still hoping to play Fiji in a warm-up game approximately 10 days before their World Cup opener against Samoa.
