Rugby League - Sinfield: This is best-prepared England squad ever

Leeds Rhinos loose forward Sinfield, 33, heads up a very strong 24-man squad for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, which starts on October 26.

The English face Australia, Ireland and Fiji in the group stage, and are hoping to meet the Aussies again in the latter stages.

The tournament is being co-hosted by Britain, Ireland and France and – in addition to some home advantage – Sinfield hopes Steve McNamara’s coaching revolution will stand England in good stead against the might of Australia and defending champions New Zealand.

“Everyone’s been excited for the last three months about the World Cup but, as an England player, we’ve been excited for the past three years,” Sinfield told Eurosport-Yahoo!

“We realise how strong Australia will be and it’s been a number of years since we were able to get a result against them. But this squad been building for a number of years thanks to the work Steven and the RFL have put in.

“It’s become like a club environment, everyone is comfortable with each other and the surroundings. It’s taken a while to get to this stage, but the morale and fitness is better than it’s ever been. It must have been so hard for Steve to get to this stage.

“I think he’s just built on what was there before. He was an assistant at the last World Cup and we all learned lessons as players and coaches.

“The vision he’s had, the way he’s used a host of different clubs to form team. He’s created an atmosphere where everyone knows their roles – and it’s enjoyable.

“We come in and learn in a first-class environment. The people involved are fantastic – not just players but the staff. Everyone gives their all and there’s a huge unity.”

The manner in which McNamara has modernised England’s coaching set-up is appealing to the players, who find the transition from club to representative rugby far easier.

It has been likened to the meticulous management of former Union boss Clive Woodward, who won the World Cup in 2003, but Sinfield feels there are subtle differences.

“I would say Steve is probably a lot more hands-on than Sir Clive Woodward, in terms of taking a lot more of the coaching sessions.

“I don’t think we’ve had the funding available that Union team had to win that World Cup but we’ve made the most of what we’ve got and Steve has been the main man in that role.

“This is the best prepared side we’ve ever had. We’re all really excited about what’s to come.”

A British or English representative team has not won the World Cup since 1972, and the last final appearance was in 1995, a clear indicator that the professional status of Rugby Union has impacted on the League game here.

In Australia and New Zealand, though, the sport continued to grow, leading the Antipodean dominance we have seen since.

There have been marked improvements in recent years though – England beat the 2008 World Cup winners New Zealand in the 2011 Four Nations, and put in a good performance in defeat to Australia earlier in the competition, although they were comprehensively beaten in the final.

Sinfield himself won this year’s Golden Boot, only the fourth European to do so and with compatriot Sam Tomkins also a contender.

Throw in the fact that five of England’s squad play their rugby in Australia’s NRL, and it is clear that the gap has narrowed since 2008.

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“We’ll see very shortly how far we’ve progressed since beating New Zealand in 2011,” Sinfield added. “It’s hard to know exactly how far we’ve gone but we are a year unbeaten.

“That performance against NZ two years ago is a standard we have to hit every time we play. The problem was we couldn’t hit that standard for the Four Nations final a week later, and the challenge is to reach that level consistently.

“It’s about momentum. I hope we can win it – we’ll see very shortly with the games, there are a lot of people outside the camp and even the supporters who are wondering where we’re going to be, are we realistic contenders?

“We know Australia and New Zealand are the ones to beat and a few other nations will cause problems. But hopefully we will be there or thereabouts on November 30.”

Gillette has announced its partnership with England’s Rugby League Team and is committed to increasing the number of quality Rugby League players through training and education of specialist children’s coaches.

Rugby League - Sinfield: This is best-prepared England squad ever