Gareth Widdop salutes Wayne Bennett after he is replaced as England boss
GARETH Widdop fears England got rid of the man who could take them to World Cup victory in Wayne Bennett. But the Warrington star knows replacing the Aussie with Shaun Wane will have gone down well. The new boss was at two Super League matches over the weekend as he goes about trying to rebuild […]
GARETH Widdop fears England got rid of the man who could take them to World Cup victory in Wayne Bennett.
But the Warrington star knows replacing the Aussie with Shaun Wane will have gone down well.
The new boss was at two Super League matches over the weekend as he goes about trying to rebuild the connection between the clubs and the national side.
He also visited former club Wigan’s training session on Monday.
Many would say that is two more than predecessor Bennett ever went to but Warrington new boy Widdop could not play down his impact.
The stand-off, part of the 2017 World Cup final team that lost 6-0 to Australia, said: “Wayne’s been really good for England. He took us to the World Cup final and we just fell short.
“Since he took over, we improved a hell of a lot but England made a decision, obviously with facing Australia at the end of the year and the World Cup the following year.
“I suppose a lot of people are happy we’ve got an English coach now and Shaun’s had a lot of success. I’m excited for the end of the year.”
Widdop, who turns 31 next month, finally made his Warrington debut after an ankle injury delayed his first action in his homeland after emigrating to Australia as a 16-year-old.
And Sunday’s 18-8 loss at Wakefield on a pudding of a pitch was just like going back to school in Halifax, West Yorkshire – with lessons to be learned.
He added: “It was interesting, wasn’t it? It was like being back at Under-8s because of the conditions on the field.
“It took me back to playing at King Cross in Halifax. My boots had never been that dirty before!
“It was different when you’re used to having fast tracks but I’m going to have to get used to all that. I’d not really played in anything like that, not at professional level anyway.
“I’ve been away in Australia, so it was an eye opener but I’m going to have to learn to play in those conditions and I’m going to have to adapt.”