Wayne Bennett may be coaching but he won’t sing English anthem

[Foreign Legion]

ENGLAND coach Wayne Bennett says he will not sing God Save the Queen because “I’m Australian”.

Bennett was formally unveiled as England Test coach in Manchester yesterday where the Broncos are based ahead of their World club Series clash with Wigan.

While England rugby union coach Eddie Jones has sung England’s anthem, Bennett said he would never do it.

“I won’t be singing God Save the Queen — I’m Australian,”

“It’s Eddie Jones’ prerogative if he wants to sing it.”

Bennett held a lengthy press conference in Manchester yesterday that was televised live on Sky Sports.

Bennett had England’s press in the palm of his hands, as he mixed one word answers with lengthy discussions on the state of rugby league.

Bennett will bring Broncos’ strength and conditioner Jeremy Hickmans and video analyst Scott Barker into his England camp.

He will use England based coaches for his assistants.

Bennett is taking charge of England through to the next World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand at the end of 2017.

“It’d be huge to win a World Cup, huge for the game and the country — but everyone’s talking about winning a World Cup and there’s a lot to do before that,” Bennett said.

“It’d lift the profile enormously and hopefully me coming here will lift the profile too, whether we win or not.

“I’m not really surprised they haven’t won a major tournament for so long; they’ve probably had wrong people in charge at different stages along the way and a lot of poor decisions.

“The best organisations are the ones that have got stability, and I think they’re in that position now.”

He also revealed he almost coached France and New Zealand.

“I nearly took the France job in the last World Cup, and if I’d spoken French I probably would have — but I couldn’t have coached a team who I couldn’t communicate to,” Bennett said.

“This is entirely different to the New Zealand role; they offered me the head coach job which I didn’t want to take at the time, so I got Stephen Kearney involved because he was a coach on the way up.”

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...m/news-story/7e443bedc71d003cf3735e7931bf6d7f



Could you imagine him speaking french he has trouble speaking englishj

 

[Last Week]

I can see this rustling some jimmies.

 

[roughyedspud]

Nope...not s problem in my eyes..

 

[Evil Homer]

I can see this rustling some jimmies.

Very few people like God Save the Queen as the English national anthem (in fact the government are currently taking steps to remove it), and I don't think anyone would expect a foreigner to sing it. Although the Queen is also the monarch of Australia so Bennett really has as much right to sing it as English people do.

 

[Son of Minto]

Could you imagine him speaking french he has trouble speaking englishj

lol

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/35607044

 

[RL The greatest game]

Quite frankly i find all national anthems embarrassing when sung by sports teams.

 

[roughyedspud]

Not as embarrassing as millionaires doing a silly "war dance"

 

[The Partisan]

If Bennett can orchestrate an English series win in the 2016 Four Nations and back it up with a 2017 RLWC crowning glory ....I'm sure English fans couldn't care less if he sang 'Give me a home amongst the gum trees' draped in the Australian flag !

 

[miguel de cervantes]

As if it matters. Half the soccer coaches are foreign to the team they coach, I bet they don't sing the national anthem. Did Jones sing the Japenese anthem?

 

[RedVee]

IMO it is right that he does not sing GSTQ

 

[deluded pom?]

If Bennett can orchestrate an English series win in the 2016 Four Nations and back it up with a 2017 RLWC crowning glory ....I'm sure English fans couldn't care less if he sang 'Give me a home amongst the gum trees' draped in the Australian flag !

Even if we don't win anything I couldn't care less if the coach sings GSTQ or not. It's an outdated dirge and as a republican and an atheist I never sing it either.

 

[The Partisan]

How about we select suitable songs for each team in this years 4N's ?


For Scotland .... I would opt for the appropriately named Barry McGuire and his hit song which unfortunately for Scots goes by the title of.................................... 'Eve of Destruction' !!!

 

[The Partisan]

Maybe something for the English with a hint of desperation and destiny after beating the Kiwis last year and running oh so close against the Aussies in 2014.


Throw in the increasing form of their squad, the return of Sam Burgess and the arrival of the codes master coach plus a home crowd advantage ..... well for many fans it will be as Elvis said ......................................



'It's now or never' !!!

 

[The Partisan]

For our Kiwi colleagues is it a case of being found wanting again after a short period of being the centre of attention and seemingly on top of the world.


Was it just all a dream ....are they living on false hope ?


Will Simon 'Freddie Mercury' Mannering and his men admit that 'Yes, I'm the great pretender'

 

[The Partisan]

Finally the lads in green and gold, will they be second guessing themselves after recent results have not made them the invincible force they once were.


Will the likes of JT, Gal, Smith and GI bow to the wisdom of everyone's favourite Queen and the Thin White Duke when they acknowledge that the boys from down under are indeed ......' Under Pressure' !!! ;-)






OK ...creativity (and wine bottle !) now all done ! Thank you and goodnight ( hic !) :lol:

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03k02gf

50 min interview talking Rugby League.

 

[GongPanther]

How the hell does this become an issue that is so important to take it to print?

FMD,no wonder the rest of the world looks upon Australia as a backward country.