Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood has defended the decision to appoint Australian Wayne Bennett as England's new head coach.
Wood has been forced to respond to criticism from St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham and Castleford head coach Daryl Powell, who both believe that the job should have been awarded to Leeds boss Brian McDermott.
Bennett has been awarded a two-year contract which runs until the 2017 World Cup and will remain as Brisbane Broncos boss during his time as England's coach.
The 66 year-old replaces former Bradford boss Steve McNamara at the England helm and Wood firmly believes the RFL made the correct appointment, regardless of Bennett's nationality.
"Steve's contract expired at the end of December 2015 so it was a natural time to pause and reflect on what to do going forward," Wood said.
"We concluded that England's chances of success would be enhanced if we asked Wayne to take the role.
"Wayne is the pre-eminent coach of the modern, possibly any era. He has a proven track record at club and representative level and is a sincere internationalist.
"The current group of players is an exciting proposition and they deserve the best in class coaching support to maximise the opportunity to succeed on behalf of the country."
Wood went on to suggest that the majority of Bennett's support staff would come from Super League clubs - effectively ruling out the re-appointment of Bradford coach James Lowe, who acted as assistant to McNamara last season.
"Wayne's nationality is a non-issue for me," Wood added.
"It's actually about competence, ability and desire to succeed and I have no question marks on any front.
"We do, however, recognise that the coaching support group should ideally be populated by coaches from the Super League and this is what we will be seeking to achieve with the future appointments. Ultimately it is of course Wayne's call as you would expect."
Bennett's Broncos are due to take on take on Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday night in the 2016 World Club series.
The tournament, which also includes St Helens, Leeds, Sydney Roosters and North Queensland, allows Bennett the opportunity to scout both England players and potential assistant coaches ahead of the Four Nations Series at the end of the year.
"The next week is an incredibly exciting time for rugby league fans in this country with the best three teams in the NRL taking on three of the best in the First Utility Super League in the Dacia World Club Series," Wood continued.
"Wayne will have the chance to witness first-hand some of the best talent available to him when Brisbane take on Wigan on Saturday night and I am sure all of the English players playing this weekend will be aiming to impress the new coach.
"The coming years will undoubtedly be an exciting and important time for international rugby league with the Four Nations this year and the World Cup only 20 months or so away.
"We have got a great group of players and now the undisputed best coach. I am sure that is a combination everyone can get behind."