Brian McDermott appears to have made clear his wish to remain in charge of England beyond the end of the Rugby League World Cup.

Former Leeds Rhinos boss McDermott, who is now an assistant in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans, was appointed England’s head coach back in April.

Succeeding Shaun Wane, who departed at the beginning of 2026 following last year’s 3-0 Ashes Series whitewash defeat to Australia on home soil, McDermott was only handed the job on a short-term deal for this autumn’s World Cup.

As things stand, it looks like England are set to exit the international showpiece tournament after just three games, largely thanks to a complex format in a reduced ten-team competition having lost their opening match 30-12 to Tonga last weekend.

But McDermott has now dropped the clearest hint yet that he’d like the job on a longer basis.

‘We’ve laid some foundations now and we’re pretty excited about where this could go’

Before the group stages of the World Cup reach a conclusion, England face both France and Papua New Guinea, with qualification for the semi-finals still mathematically possible.

McDermott only took charge back in April, and met many of his squad for the first time when they landed in Australia for the World Cup earlier this month, with no warm-up matches played.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash with France in Perth, he admitted: “I’m really pumped about what we’ve done over a short period of time, it’s been remarkable, really.

“We’ve come together and looked pretty good.

“Our preparation while we’ve been in Australia has been really good, the flow and the cohesion of the staff.

“We’ve laid some foundations now and we’re pretty excited about where this could go.”

‘I don’t think there’s a great need for change, just give me another three or four games with this mob!’

Though full details are yet to be confirmed by the Rugby Football League (RFL) and RL Commercial, England are set to host New Zealand in a three-match Test Series at the end of next year with the Baskerville Shield on the line.

The plan is then to face the Kangaroos in Australia in a three-match Ashes Series in 2028.

McDermott added: “That (Tonga game) is the first time our spine have played with each other… George Williams, Harry Smith, AJ Brimson and Brad O’Neill with Jez Litten coming off the bench.

“For us to go through now, it’s a slim chance, but I don’t think there’s a great need for change, just give me another three or four games with this mob!

“Let’s build some layers of preparation with each other.

“We trained together three times last week building up for Tonga, with only two real field sessions.

“If you give me another two or three weeks of preparation or another few games leading into the tournament, I’d be really excited.”