Wayne Bennett on a mission to promote English rugby league

England coach Wayne Bennett. Photo / Photosport

It's easy to misunderstand Wayne Bennett, and that is what has been happening in England over the last few weeks.

His explosive - by his standards - press conference has lit the fuse ahead of the Australia's clash with England on Sunday (Monday morning NZT), but that was never his intention.

Bennett was just being himself. After, as he reminded everyone on Thursday, almost four decades in the coaching business, the 65-year-old has no room for games.

"I am what I am and I'm not going to compromise myself, what I feel, what state I'm in at that particular time, "said Bennett."

He tells it like it is, says what is on his mind - or barely says anything at all.

That has been a tough adjustment for English media in particular, who are used to the current generation of coaches, well versed coach speak and sporting clichés.

Bennett doesn't do that. At the start of the press conference after England's stumbling 38-12 win over Scotland on Sunday, one journalist said "Wayne, you didn't look happy during the game?"

His answer was two words -"I wasn't" - nothing more, nothing less. That is Bennett's style; he doesn't feel the need for soundbites and fluff, especially if the occasion or question doesn't warrant it.

Of course England is a different landscape to his normal one at the Broncos. League is the poor cousin of Union in this country, and struggles for attention among the mega coverage of football, followed by Cricket, Formula One, Rugby and Tennis.

But Bennett was spot on with his assessment, that the best way to promote the sport was to produce a winning, entertaining team. The right result would do more for the game than all number of staged media occasions, especially the glib coach speak.

"I'm not interested in cheap talk and I'm not interested in getting out there thinking I can promote the game by something that I say," said Bennett. "I know the teams that I coach, if they play well and everyone enjoys the way they play, you won't have a shortage of fans and people interested in what they're doing."

Former Warriors coach Matt Elliott is a good example. During his tenure at Mt Smart the Australian became a media darling for a time; he was eloquent and eager to give his opinions and analysis at the drop of a hat. But he couldn't get the results, and never regained credibility with Warriors fans after the 62-2 defeat to Penrith in 2013.

In a one on one interview situation, Bennett can be compelling listening. He tells great stories and speaks about the sport on a level that few can.

He's not the same in press conferences, especially after all these years.

But he was today, and that has inadvertently helped to promote the match on Monday, in a country accustomed to the English Premier League, where the managers can become almost as big as the game.

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