'Bring him back': Ex-England star makes outrageous Andy Farrell call

Ireland coach Andy Farrell should be named the next England rugby league boss and put in charge for the 2026 World Cup, according to former St. Helens and Great Britain star James Graham.

The Rugby Football League are weighing up the future of England boss Shaun Wane following their recent 3-0 hammering at the hands of the Kangaroos and will decide whether to extend Wane’s contract in the New Year.

And Graham, speaking on his podcast The Bye Round, believes that there is only one man for the nearly impossible task of bringing success in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and that is Wigan Warriors legend Farrell.

Wigan-born Farrell is still held in very high regard in league circles, where he won seven league titles, six Challenge Cups and a World Club Championship before switching codes and joining Saracens two decades ago.

Farrell has overseen Ireland winning two Six Nations titles and the 2023 Grand Slam, while his stock rose even further last summer when he plotted the Lions series victory in Australia.

The 50-year-old is due to be under contract to Ireland until after the 2027 Rugby Union World Cup and is already being tipped to lead the Lions when they travel to New Zealand in 2029.

But Graham believes that the RFL should be going all out to tempt Farrell back to the sport that made him a household name, even though there is very little prospect of an approach being taken seriously by the Ireland bosses.

“On England and Shaun Wane’s future, I’ve been thinking about a person to bring in, not just for coaching but for credibility and for the reach that he would have and the impact..

“Andy Farrell. Bring him back. Lions coach is only every four years. Bring him in, bring him back. Could you imagine what that would do for English rugby league?

“I reckon people would want to watch. The rugby union fans would say, ‘Andy Farrell is going back to coach England,’ or to help with England,” said Graham.