Former Teammates Hanley and Wane go head to head in June

Credit: Sky Sports

Saturday 18th June 2022 will see two Wigan rugby league heavyweights go head-to-head as England face the combined All Stars at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Shaun Wane will be looking to pull one back following the teams’ previous meeting that saw the all-stars come away with the 24-26 win under previous coach Tim Sheens.

Rugby league hall of famer and three-time man of steel Ellery Hanley MBE takes the reigns of the all-stars and faces his former teammate Shaun Wane.

Looking back over their time as teammates and friends, the mutual respect is clear. Their knowledge of each other and how they like their teams to play will make for an interesting and competitive game come June.

Wane said “I’m really looking forward to it, I know how competitive he is, and he knows me really well. I did not like losing last year’s game, I want to win this one. So, it’s going to be the making of two really good teams going at it.” He goes on to say “He wants to do the tough stuff. He’s a competitive player, the best player I have ever played with, without a shadow of a doubt. Just his name, walking in a room he is an icon, everyone looks up to him. You respect everything he says, he doesn’t talk rubbish, everything he says makes sense. I’ve got the upmost respect for him as a player, every member of staff in that all-stars camp will be behind him and it’s going to make it tougher for us, which is great for preparation.”

Friendships will be put aside for 80 minutes in June when the teams go head-to-head. Ellery Hanley predicts a battle.

“We know it’s going to be a battle and neither of us are going to step aside whatsoever, but at the end of it we’ll still respect each other.”

Wane, still sore from the last meeting of the teams has highlighted some of the wrongs they will be hoping to put right in June

“It wasn’t the flashy things that let us down, it was some simple basics, the fundamentals. Players in certain positions. Simple things done really well will get you the win, and we didn’t do enough of that in that game”

The all-stars will not get as many chances to get together in camp as the England squad, but Hanley is confident that he knows enough about his players to get the best from them.

“There’s not many games I’ve not missed, so I’m very familiar with all the players. To be quite honest I probably know all the players in terms of their weaknesses and strengths. I know what I’m looking for in a player in terms of the all nations side. There’s no question about that, I know exactly what I want from the players. Probably the fortunate part for sure is they’ve got a few more camps than us, but that’s going to be no excuse whatsoever. As I said, these players are adaptable, and they understand the game.

The fundamental aim is to showcase the top players in both squads ahead of the upcoming World Cup, Hanley believes the talent on show in the Super League will put England in good stead to be victorious.

“I think we’ve got enough personnel in the Super League to trouble any side. I think we’ve got the right man in place in Shaun Wane. He’s brilliant in terms of that his expectation is high, his level, what he wants from his players. The standard he wants from his players. He was the same as a player and he just moved over into the role of having a tracksuit or a suit. I’m exactly the same so I have the upmost respect for him, I love him to bits”

Tickets for the double header are available to buy now from only £20 for Adults and £10 for under 15’s at eticketing.co.uk/rugbyleague.

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