Australian Willie Peters has been among the first names put in the frame to succeed Shaun Wane, who has stepped down as England coach nine months before the Rugby League World Cup.
Wane's position had looked in jeopardy after overseeing England's three-Test Ashes whitewash by the Kangaroos last year, but there's now an inviting vacancy for a new coach to lead the Lions into the global showpiece to be held largely in Australia in October and November.
The Rugby Football League confirmed Wane's successor will be a part-time appointment, opening up the opportunity for a Super League coach to take up the post alongside club duties.
One of the first names thrown into the mix after the news emerged on Wednesday (local time) was that of Australian Willie Peters, who did such a stellar job in 2025, leading Hull KR to the rare domestic treble of Super League champions, League Leaders Shield holders and Challenge Cup winners.
Peters, though, was also seen as an invaluable assistant to Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters during the Ashes triumph, and may also be in demand to play a part in the hosts' title defence.
Long admired within English rugby league circles, the 46-year-old former South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback also played for Wigan and has already become such a big part of the community at Rovers that he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hull last month.
The 61-year-old Wane stepped down, saying: "It has been the honour of my life to coach England Rugby League over the last six years, but after careful reflection I believe the time is right to step aside and allow the program to move forward into its next chapter.
"The privilege of leading my country in a World Cup, an Ashes series on home soil and securing victories over Tonga and Samoa will live long in the memory."
But those triumphs paled in significance next to England's failure to reach their home World Cup final in 2022, having lost to Samoa in the semis, and the Ashes humbling, when his side only managed two tries in the three Tests in October and November.
Asked after the 3-0 series defeat if he believed he was still the man to take England forward, Wane, who won 14 of his 19 matches in charge, insisted: "I don't believe - I know I am."
But his replacement will face a potentially problematic build-up to the World Cup, with no mid-season international planned amid a busy domestic campaign.
Any new coach could be on a hiding to nothing because the Lions' first World Cup match is against a doubtless hungry Tonga in Perth on October 17.
Still, there's sure to be plenty of interest in the role, with another potential candidate being Sam Burgess, the former South Sydney star who has impressed as a young Super League boss at Warrington, where his contract will be up at the end of the season.
