League: England coach steps down

Tony Smith wants to concentrate on his job at Warrington and spend more time with his family. Photo / Getty Images

LEEDS - England rugby league coach Tony Smith quit his post just hours after claiming the national side had taken some positive steps towards the future with their impressive Four Nations campaign.

Smith spoke encouragingly about a future involving young halves Kyle Eastmond and Sam Tomkins and rampaging forward Sam Burgess after the hosts pushed Australia for 60 minutes before eventually going down 46-16 in the Four Nations final in Leeds yesterday.

Burgess was particularly impressive, his two tries showing an intriguing blend of size, footwork and speed to keep the hosts in the match.

But Smith won't be there to see his saplings bear fruit, instead preferring to concentrate on his new job at Warrington and spend more time with his family after three years in the role.

"After talking to (my family) it is clear that it is very difficult for me to cover the demands of both the club and international game," Smith said in a statement released by the RFL on Sunday.

"Next year the Four Nations is in the southern hemisphere and, after a long domestic season with Warrington, it would mean at least six weeks away from home with England.

"I must consider my family's needs as well as my own and therefore believe now is the right time to stand down.

"I will continue to support the national team in any way I can and wish my successor the very best of luck."

Following the game Smith had said he would assess his options before deciding whether to re-apply for the position, but it seems his mind was already made up before the 30-point loss.

Smith claimed he was leaving the national side in a healthy position, after a disastrous World Cup in Australia last year.

"They're building a belief that they can (beat Australia)," Smith said.

"I think the Kiwis went through it not so long ago where they found a belief that they could beat the Australians.

"It's not far off for us - we're not there yet but it's not far off."

Smith admitted the final scoreline didn't do his men any justice with the game in the balance until Billy Slater's flick back for Cameron Smith to score to give the Australians a 28-16 lead to begin a try-scoring frenzy late in the game.

"It probably reflects some of the special individuals that Australia have," Smith said.

"They have got the ability to come up with a couple of special tries and they did that at the end and it blew the scoreline out.

"For 60 minutes of that game it looked like it could have gone either way.

"In that respect it's probably an advancement for us from what we've done in the past against Australia.

"Better, but not good enough."

- AAP