England training camp cancelled

The Rugby Football League has pulled the plug on its planned England warm-weather training camp following widespread opposition.

England head coach Wayne Bennett was set to take 17 leading Super League players for a fortnight-long training camp in Dubai in early January.

However, former England boss Tony Smith was among a host of Super League club coaches to criticise the move, claiming it would disrupt their preparations for the start of the 2017 Super League season for little reward, and the RFL appears to have backed down.

A spokesman said: “Following further discussions with Super League clubs, the England coaching staff and RFL have reflected on all views and concluded that the plans that are now in place would not deliver what was initially expected.”

The shock announcement is sure to undermine the position of Bennett, who insisted the pre-season camp, along with a mid-year international in Sydney, were essential components to the build-up to the 2017 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Bennett and the England management, which includes former national captains Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock, had drawn up a 17-strong list of players for the trip.

Bennett, who is halfway through a two-year contract, recently claimed to have the backing of the Super League coaches but Smith, St Helens boss Keiron Cunningham and Hull coach Lee Radford all expressed their opposition.

“I totally disagree with the rationale behind it,” Smith told the Warrington Guardian. “I don’t understand it whatsoever.”

Smith said he expressed his concerns to Bennett, who was thought to be intending to attend only part of the camp since it clashes with the preparations of his club Brisbane for the new NRL season.

An RFL spokesman insisted Bennett will remain in charge and that the England team are now focused on the mid-season Test in May but the about-turn will be seen as major embarrassment to the RFL, who were keen to support Bennett.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood played down any talk of a club versus country row at an end-of-year media briefing earlier this month but he has clearly bowed to pressure from Super League clubs, who were forced into arranging a second set of back-to-back fixtures to accommodate an early start to the season.

Several clubs will also be without their leading players when England play their proposed international against Samoa in Sydney on the weekend of May 7.

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