Listening to him on recent podcasts I think he’d snap their hands off for it. He came across as wanting a return to rugby league to me. He’d also only working for the Scottish Rugby Union on a one day a week consultancy basis isn’t he? His per hour wage may go down but a full time contract with the RFL would surely earn him more?

He strikes me as a guy who’d find it the ultimate honour to coach the national team and money may not be a factor.

Not exactly the norm here and I don’t think it’s been done before but could he not do both? The England job is hardly FT (despite me wanting it to be) and he’d have more than enough time on his hands to do his other work. I accept that’s like a “not sure about that” kind of proposal upon first reading but it could work.

I’m with you on SW too. I think he’d want the job but he also will be bearing in mind that a poor international showing will do nothing for his NRL ambitions, if anything it will close off that avenue completely. And on the flip side an international success story will boost his chances. It’s a huge gamble on his part.

He’ll need something like knocking the Aussies over to get a crack down under IMO. The longer he’s out of league, the further away his chances of an NRL job drift I reckon. They just don’t respect the game over here enough to give a British coach a chance and he’d need to knock the door down.

I hope we make the job full time again tbh and I’d want a man like Wane working from the top down to the England academy teams, aligning how we play, like he did with us here at Wigan. I’d also want him to avoid the sort of bias Bennett has shown towards his comp and to do that he needs to travel around England and Australia and watch as many live games as possible. Any coach we have should know the ins and outs of each player in his squad and he should have total faith in them. I’m sick to the back teeth of Bennett’s attitude that the rest of the squad need to come up to the NRL players standards. Bateman aside the NRL lads have been dreadful on this tour but then so have the vast majority of players. He seems oblivious to what happens over here in the UK.

Idiotic to leave him in charge for the last game. At least let Watson have a crack and give the players a free reign to play SL style and throw the ball around and at least try to salvage a touch of pride.

I have never rated Bennett as the messiah of coaching. He made his name when he had the best forward pack in the NRL steamrollering teams and the best set of backs in the NRL using their individual skills to put the points on the board. The players he had at his disposal were once in a generation in almost every position.

He should of retired 7/8 years ago.

As a sport that is falling behind others domestically and is trying to build its international profile, having a guy in charge of the National side who doesn’t want to engage with the media or support is really poor. If his results were amazing then he’d be let off to a degree but as soon as a bad run of results has come, he was always going to get the backlash.

We need a full time coach in the run up to the Ashes and World Cup. Somebody who is not only a good coach but who will engage with the media because we need that to build towards the next two years. We need them to be able to take up every invite to appear on tv or radio, to speak to the UK press on a regular basis and to engage with fans at big events like the Cup final and Grand final.

Even given the world cup run, I don't think Bennett has done anything we would not have done under McNamara. In 6 seasons with England McNamara played 5 and lost them all against the Aussies, some disappointingly wide and a couple very close, and we played 7 and won 3 against New Zealand, including a test series. In 4 seasons with England/GB Bennett has played 3 and lost them all against the Aussies, two close, one not, and played 7, won 3 against New Zealand, including a test series. Also, while Bennett's teams ran the Aussies closest, none of McNamara's teams were ever hammered by the Kiwis the way we were in the 3rd test last year, or even in the 2nd test this year. I have seen absolutely no evidence of forward progress under Bennett and want him gone. The point about engaging with the media is fair as well. I would be happy with Wane or Powell, should either of them want the job and I think, if Wane really wants an NRL job, a successful crack at England/GB is the only way he will get the chance.

I agree with all of that, except Powell!

I get that he's not everyone's cup of tea, and he probably wouldn't do much for improving the media engagement! But he has had his team playing with flair and creativity for several years and he has also made the most of limited resources - I think that is a useful ability at international level, where you can't just transfer in players from other clubs. I would throw Watson into the mix as well but I think, what he has done for one season, Powell has basically been doing for several. I have also seen Danny Ward's name being mentioned in the media but would rather see him as an assistant if he were to be involved at this stage of his career.

On another point, I see a lot of people referencing pride, passion and determination, which I think is a dangerous blind alley. Every time England (or GB in this case) disappoint people start looking for someone to get some passion into the players. It's not about passion, or the coach's nationality. It's about ability, tactical awareness and smarts on the pitch. In the case of our players at the moment, it is about better ball movement, better last tackle options, not giving away stupid penalties and not making handling errors in crucial areas of the pitch. In the case of our coach, it is about selecting players in the right positions, making sure that there is balance in the squad and pace in the team and taking off his blinkers with regard to player selection, both in assuming that playing in the NRL automatically elevates a player beyond playing in Super League, and in showing loyalty to players who are no longer up to the job.

As well as Bennett going, we really need to see the following:

Chris Hill - gone. He did really well when he broke into the England team but he is now past his prime and no longer offers enough for test level.

James Graham - also gone. Still a really good player but his performances have not been at the right level at test level for a while. He has been a champion player for his country, no doubt, but the time should be up now and, also, he needs to think about prolonging his club career at this stage. I also don't think he is the right choice as captain.

Josh Hodgson - should still definitely be in the squad for me but there is no doubt that he has been comprehensively outshone by both Roby and Clark for the last few seasons. Given Roby's age, Clark should absolutely be our number one hooker at the moment.

Ryan Hall - another player who has been outstanding over the years but he is done now, at this level. His pace is gone and he has clearly not played enough this season.

Gareth Widdop - I am not saying there is no place for him, he has been a great player at times but pick him on form, not just reputation. This tour he has offered nothing and I think he has stifled his halfback partner by controlling what little ball the forwards allow the backs.

Bring Liam Watts in for heaven's sake! I know people have some reservations but we will never know unless he gets a chance. Other players that ought to be in and around the mix - Regan Grace, Josh Charnley, Sam Tomkins, Mark Percival, Reece Lyne (I know he has his detractors as well but we are crying out for centres), Ryan Sutton and probably more. We also desperately need a replacement for O'Loughlin to link the forwards to the backs. If it can't be done from loose forward it needs to come from somewhere.

Finally, if Bennett is insisting on using this to build for the World Cup, what the heck are some of those older players I have mentioned doing in the squad?

If Bennett stays on I honestly think we may see Hodgson made captain yet he’s had another horrendous series as an international player. He should be done along with McGillvary,Hill, Hall and sadly Graham with next years Ashes squad being freshened up. A lot will depend on how players form in 2020 stacks up but certainly guys like Watts, Johnstone, Smithies and Knowles will be in the reckoning you’d imagine.

George Williams has now been named in the 17 for tomorrows game v PNG, better late than never I guess.

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It's in either the sun or the star that Hodgson is saying Bennett to stay on for the world cup,get rid now and get a young forward thinking coach in that gives 2 years to get it right

Heard Wane will take over not long after this series.

GB style of rugby won’t change then, just their mentality, I suppose it is slightly better than the current offering

Moley saying that Bennets gone as soon as his contract runs out

Having a head coach who:

a. Lives on the other side of the world and
b. Coaches at club level

means that he rarely sees the players at his disposal.

If we are ever going to be other than 2nd rate, we need a coach that is 100% committed to the national team. Furthermore, whoever it is needs to pick the best player in that position. Are we seriously saying that the two wingers today are the best Britain can offer - one of whom spent almost all his career playing at half-back, and one who seems to be picked on his form 4-5 years ago when Huddersfield last had a decent season.

Not watched the game due to only finishing work in the early hours but I’ve been unfortunate enough to see the result. The OP will almost certainly be getting his wish. A wish that is now reciprocated amongst many.

As for the GB concept; this must be kept IMHO. Keep it to a tour every 4yrs and a complete desperate entity from England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland with a different coach each time. There’s no harm or shame in copying the RU model.

Should be Powell who takes over. Same Waney mentality, more skill involved though

How many more people have we lost to the game after this shambles?

It's not just Bennett.

There've been quite a few players out there, wearing GB shirts, who are clearly nowhere near international standard.

I'd love to think this would be reflected in a huge reduction in their asking prices, but it won't be. As soon as they get home and start tearing it up domestically again, we'll all fall back into our old habit of thinking they're really good. But that's the SL era for you.

No one I wouldn’t have thought.

It’s been a bad tour, to put it lightly and there’s no doubt the GB image has been damaged but it is repairable so long as the inept RFL run it correctly instead of half hearted like this has been. Better team selections, tactics, own social media account etc. The only good thing I can think of is that we didn’t play Australia.

Bennett and Sinfield need to go and I think the formers departure is almost inevitable now anyway. But we must remember that this is a GB tour, NOT an England tour. They’re two separate entities and from what Kevin Sinfield has been saying I think there’s an outside chance Bennett stays on as England coach which IMO is wrong.

GB to stay on a 4yr tour basis. Different coach each time and a proper schedule confirmed years before. Performances are only half the battle to attracting new eyes. A professional and organised look is essential. The RFL have managed to make this tour look amateurish.

But we all know nothing will change. The RFL will continue to wear cherry and white spectacles living in cloud cuckoo land. You only have to look at the difference between their press conference a few weeks ago and Toronto’s a few days ago to see the complete shambles they are. It’s little wonder RL is scoffed at and dismissed so easily.

Personally can't believe anyone watches international RL tbh.

And that attitude, which I’m not saying is wrong by the way, is exactly what needs to change. The organisations with the power to change that are the IRFL and the RFL.