Sunday 19 April 2020 08:24, UK
Even with no rugby league being played at present, Shaun Wane finds his days since being appointed England’s new head coach as busy as ever.
In the past week, the 55-year-old has held a lengthy webinar with the other members of the national team's performance unit, including the women's and wheelchair coaches, and is making his way through individual conversations with the 31 players named in his squad for last month's cancelled get-together at Old Trafford.
When he is not doing that, Wane is spending his days speaking to sporting contacts, along with trying to learn any lessons which can make him a better coach and in turn help England knock Australia off their perch as the kings of international rugby league.
"I want us to think outside the box - how can we give our players the jump on every other nation playing rugby league? And that's what we're doing," Wane said.
"I'm very proud of what we're thinking of and the idea of the webinar was making sure everybody involved in the RFL is up to date, they know what I'm thinking, what my philosophies are and how I think - and I do think a bit differently."
Wane's coaching record speaks for itself. In seven years in charge of Wigan Warriors, he guided his hometown club to three Super League Grand Final triumphs, plus success in the Challenge Cup and the World Club Challenge.
Prior to being appointed head coach at the Cherry and Whites, he had spent time as a scout for the club and nine seasons overseeing the U18s team, having hung up his boots in 1994 after a more than respectable playing career as a hard-nosed forward for Wigan, Leeds and Workington Town.
Of all the coaches he worked under as a player, it was perhaps Graham Lowe who had the most lasting impact on Wane though.
Lowe's three years at the old Central Park in the late 1980s saw Wigan firmly establish themselves as the premier side in the British professional game, with Wane playing a part - perhaps most notably in the 1987 World Club Challenge win over Manly when he was named man of the match.
But to this day, the former New Zealand international's techniques are something which Wane uses to form part of his coaching philosophy.
"There were a lot of coaches I learnt from at Wigan - and quite a few coaches I learned not what to do as well," Wane said.
He was a man for who attention to detail and quality repetition made perfect. It's stuff like that which is very important to me and Graham Lowe had a big influence on my coaching
"Geoff Lyon, who coached me with the Great Britain Colts when I was a kid, had a big influence on me, but I'd say Graham Lowe [had the biggest influence].
"He was a man for who attention to detail and quality repetition made perfect. It's stuff like that which is very important to me and Graeme Lowe had a big influence on my coaching."
To this day, Wane has contacts at several NRL clubs he regularly consults too, but influences extend beyond the rugby league sphere. Indeed, he is one of a long line of coaches from the sport to speak to those in the NFL to keep up with the latest coaching developments in America.
He is one of several from the 13-man code to have a spell coaching in rugby union too, holding a high-performance role with the Scottish national set-up prior to returning to his roots as replacement for outgoing England boss Wayne Bennett.
But while Wane admitted his time in union proved frustrating, he still picked up plenty he will be able to implement in his new job.
"The preparation and detail we had at Wigan was very good, but because of the money in rugby union they do things a little bit differently," Wane said.
"They spend more and there are things we can't do in league, but there are things I took from rugby union like the training, the facilities and the detail in meetings.
"My mentality is it doesn't matter who I speak to, I can learn from everybody. I talk to my next-door neighbour over the fence who's a rugby union fan and I learn from him every day.
It doesn't matter who I speak to, I can learn from everybody. I talk to my next-door neighbour over the fence who's a rugby union fan and I learn from him every day
"My time in rugby union was very frustrating, but enjoyable as well and I met some really good people, so I will use things from that in rugby league now I'm back."
His time in charge of Wigan saw him consult with coaches in football and netball, while Wane recently joined former England football international and rugby league fan Stuart Pearce on a podcast as well.
The former Wigan St Patricks junior is even engrossed in a documentary series about the Australian cricket team at present trying to pick up any useful tips he can for when he finally gets back out on the training ground with the England team ahead of this winter's scheduled Ashes series.
"I don't see this as time at home, I'm watching lots of games, reading lots of books and trying to get in touch with lots of NRL coaches to learn something," Wane said.
"I want to improve and get better, and I want to make us as good as everybody else when we come out of this.
"I go to bed a better person and a better coach, and I'm happy."
