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I hope England can emulate Leeds Rhinos says Tony Smith
England coach Tony Smith hopes tomorrow's Gillette Four Nations final will be the catalyst for the national side to emulate what Leeds Rhinos have achieved in recent times.
Smith coached Rhinos to their first championship in 32 years, back in 2004.
It is now 37 years since England/Great Britain triumphed in a major series – a barren run which could end when Smith's side take on Australia at Elland Road.
Smith can see parallels between club and country – and he feels England, if they win tomorrow, could go on to more and greater success.
Rhinos have won three more titles since 2004 and Smith said: "I was very fortunate to be involved in the change of fortunes at Leeds and it would be very nice to be involved in something similar with England.
"Possibly there are some parallels. We have got the potential to do what Leeds have done.
"It is a nice blend of youth – like we had at Leeds in those early days – and some senior players.
"We are also taking some of the right steps off the field. We don't want to be a one-off team, we want to be competing in and winning these sorts of finals for years to come.
"I would hate for us to have one good year and four bad ones. That would be a failure.
"I would hope England can emulate what Leeds have done, it is not a bad analogy. It will take a bit of time to do that, Leeds had a good infrastructure in place for a few years before it bore fruit.
"That is probably what we have been going through for some years now. It would be nice if it bore fruit for us now."
Despite his hopes and optimism for England's long-term future, speculation is mounting that tomorrow's game could be Smith's last as national coach.
Smith – who is also in charge of engage Super League side Warrington Wolves – said an announcement about his future must wait.
"We will sit down and make the right decisions at the right time," he said.
The England coach has confirmed an unchanged side for tomorrow, following last Saturday's win over New Zealand.
Castleford Tigers' Michael Shenton has been named in the left centre, alongside Leeds winger Ryan Hall, with Rhinos skipper Kevin Sinfield at hooker and club-mate Jamie Peacock in the second-row.
There's no recall for Leeds stand-off Danny McGuire, who was dropped last week. Rhinos centre Lee Smith – who will join rugby union outfit Wasps after the Four Nations – has also been left out in the cold, bringing his rugby league career to an end.
Aussie coach Tim Sheens named his team earlier in the week, with Luke Lewis replacing Anthony Watmough in the second-row in the only change to the side which beat England two weeks ago.
Watmough has been named on a provisional six-man bench, which will be finalised tomorrow.
Sheens said he has "a couple of injuries, not major" to check on – and will also consider the weather conditions before deciding on his final 17.
"England played extremely well last week," Sheens said. "Their game against New Zealand was the best of the tournament so far and it's the first time I have seen a side play for 80 minutes.
"I thought they started strongly and finished strongly. I didn't see a weakness in their game.
"I thought New Zealand were the form team and they pulled them apart, so it's going to be a tough game."
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
