Shaun Wane's own words have come home to roost.

Wane in February 2020 said: "If I don't get to a World Cup final and win, it's a disaster. We haven't beaten Australia for a long time and I'm embarrassed by that. And if we don't beat them, it's on me."

In the end, Wane didn't just set the bar, he fashioned the trapdoor beneath it. Those were his words, not anyone else's.

And by his own measure, the two most important campaigns of his six years in charge have been nothing short of catastrophic.

England's home World Cup, played in 2022 not 2021 because of Covid, was supposed to be the moment rugby league reconnected with a wider domestic audience. The draw was deliberately kind: no Australia, no New Zealand until the final. All roads led to Old Trafford.

Except, of course, England didn't

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