AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – OCTOBER 20: Head Coach Mal Meninga of Australia looks on after the International Test match between Tonga and Australia at Mount Smart Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
For the first time since 2000, the Rugby League World Cup will feature 16 teams, and that means there are going to be plenty of unfamiliar faces to the average NRL fan.
While the focus will be on the players, coaching behind the scenes is equally as important across all nations, with squads needing to be balanced and player workloads managed, as well as tactics set.
Every nation will have different expectations and goals for the tournament, with coaches needing to manage them.
Here is the full list of coaches for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup.
Group A
England
Shaun Wane
Shaun Wane is one of the most experienced coaches in the English game, but will be suiting up for his first World Cup with the side, and it being on home soil will only add to the pressure.
Wane coached the Wigan Warriors in 238 games, holding a 68 per cent win rate between 2011 and 2018, turning the club into a juggernaut of the English Super League.
He has been in charge of England since 2020, having previously played two Tests for Great Britain in 1985 and 1986 during his playing days as a forward.
France
Laurent Frayssinous
Frayssinous had his rise into the coaching game in charge of the Catalan Dragons between 2013 and 2017, where he coached 139 games, but struggled to bring the club to the level of Trent Robinson, who he had taken over from.
Robinson himself is the director of football for the French outfit, so will work closely with Frayssinous during the tournament.
Samoa
Matt Parish
Paris has spent most of his time as a coach in an assistant role at club level. His only head coaching job was in charge of the Salford Red Devils during 2011, where he lasted just six games.
Parish has coached Samoa since 2013, leading them to their first ever quarter-final appearance at the tournament during 2013.
Greece
Steve Georgallis
Steve Georgallis needs little introduction as a legend of the Wesstern Suburbs Magpies between 1993 and 1999.
He played 148 games for the club right up until they ultimately merged to become the Wests Tigers, where he also spent a single season.
The former half then took to coaching, and has been in charge of Greece’s rise since 2003. The nation’s World Cup debut will fittingly come under his watch.
Group B
Australia
Mal Meninga
Another coach who needs no introduction is Mal Meninga.
One of the all-time greats of the Australian game, Meninga in his own right is a Kangaroos’ legend. He coached Queensland during their dominant run, and has now taken over the top job at the head of Australian Rugby League, with the Kangaroos staring down what will be potentially their toughest World Cup campaign in tournament history as the continued expansion of the international game puts their dominance in doubt.
Fiji
Joe Rabele
Also known as Joe Dakuitoga, the former Penrith Panthers player has spent three stints in charge of the Fijian side, but this will be only his second World Cup campaign in that time.
He has a successful past in the Fijian coaching role though, winning four out of six games.
Italy
Leo Epifania
A former Australian fullback and winger, Epifania played for both the Western Suburbs and Illawarra Steelers during a short career at the top level of the Australian game.
He became an assistant coach for Italy in 2016 following a stint in charge of the York Wasps and time as general manager of the Western Suburbs Magpies in the NSW Cup.
Scotland
Nathan Graham
Graham retired from playing in 2004. A utility who could fill in just about anywhere on the field, he spent the bulk of his career in the lower levels of the English system, while also playing ten Tests for Scotland.
He took over the coaching of the national team in 2019 and will lead his first World Cup.
Group C
Ireland
Ged Corcoran
Corcoran had a long playing career which ultimately only wrapped up in 2011 when he finished at Toulouse Olympique. He played 11 Tests for Ireland.
He has taken over as coach of the Irish squad this year, and his first games in charge will be at the World Cup.
Lebanon
Michael Cheika
Cheika would need no introduction to fans of rugby union, serving as a former Wallabies coach.
His switch to the 13-man game has come as a surprise, although he will be backed up by a strong coaching staff including Robbie Farah.
Being a former Wallabies boss means he will be no stranger to World Cups however.
Jamaica
Romeo Monteith
Monteith has overseen the growth of rugby league in Jamaica, and while by his own admission there is still a long way to go, a World Cup debut has come as a major milestone for the Caribbean nation.
New Zealand
Michael Maguire
Maguire might have fallen out of favour with his last NRL job at the Wests Tigers, but he is a former premiership-winner at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Noted for his hard taskmaster style, Maguire has been in charge of the Kiwis since 2018 and has been building towards this tournament as his sole project since the middle of the NRL season when his time at the Tigers came to an abrupt end.
Group D
Cook Islands
Tony Iro
Iro is a veteran of 25 Tests for New Zealand during a career which saw him play everywhere from Wigan and Leigh in England, to the Manly Sea Eagles, Eastern Suburbs, Hunter Mariners, Adelaide Rams and South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
He took over as coach of the Warriors briefly in 2012 and has held assistant jobs in the sport, while he has led the Kukis since 2017.
Papua New Guinea
Stanley Tepend
Tepend has only recently taken over as coach of Papua New Guinea, replacing former coach Michael Marum.
He coached the Kumuls in the mid-year Test, with his second match in charge to be the opener of the World Cup.
Tonga
Kristian Woolf
Woolf will need no introduction.
One of the best coaches in the English Super League, he will join the Dolphins as an assistant next year before ultimately taking over from Wayne Bennett.
The Tongan boss has been through every level of the game in Australia, and at 47, has already been in charge of Tonga for eight years.
Wales
John Kear
Kear played 133 games during his playing career for Castleford, but has since gone on to coach over 400 games throughout the various levels of English football.
Currently in charge of the Widnes Vikings, he has also coached France and England at international level before taking over Wales in 2014.
Source:: ZeroTackle
