Martin Offiah calls on England’s on-field leaders to help them to World Cup glory

MARTIN Offiah believes England’s new leaders need to step up on the day if they are to win the World Cup.

And he knows just how important the tournament is, as he gets stick about it 27 years after his big moment.

An improved standard of Super League can also help towards that goal.

Shaun Wane’s men hope to lift the trophy on home soil in November after the tournament was delayed by a year because of Australia and New Zealand’s refusal to travel in 2021.

The national side came so close in 2017, losing the final 6-0 to Australia but Sam Burgess, James Graham and Sean O’Loughlin have since retired.

Now Offiah believes the likes of George Williams, Alex Walmsley and John Bateman must fill the void on the field if England are to go one better.

The wing legend said: “You always need big personalities when it’s time to step up. If anything, sides I played in had too many leaders sometimes and not enough followers!

“You’ve got to be present in what you are as if you spend too much time looking back or at what’s going to come, you lose focus.

“There are quality players. I watch the Super League and the England-qualified players in the NRL and it’s never been a question of talent.

“But I sometimes wonder maybe we just haven’t had the players that can replace an individual, that’s where we’ve probably suffered up here.

“Also, there’s that level of consistent competition, you can probably cut Super League into three – in the NRL, even the bad teams are good.”

Offiah feels postponing the tournament after the Aussies’ and Kiwis’ call was the right decision as he added: “There would’ve been a big asterisk next to the tournament, similar to what happened in the 1980 Olympics when Alan Wells won but the Americans weren’t there.

“2022 is a real opportunity for rugby league to put another flag in the sand to say, ‘We’re still here.’”

Offiah knows just how important World Cups are after suffering heartache in England’s 1995 final loss to Australia, dominated by a controversial disallowed try in the days before video referees.

And he revealed he is still reminded of that moment by a player who rubbed it in with a late try to seal Australia’s 16-8 success.

He told SunSport: “Tim Brasher actually messaged me on Facebook after seeing a clip of me making a break and putting the ball inside to Paul Newlove – it wasn’t in touch but obviously there was no video referee that day.

“If that try was given, we might have won but he was giving me stick for it. You know what the Aussies are like.

“But World Cups are the pinnacle, that’s your biggest testing ground.”

Offiah has linked up with leading agent Simon Dent, who feels the time is right to turn rugby league stars into household names ahead of the World Cup.

He said: “From a commercial and agent’s point of view, there’s a real opportunity to pull out some stars.

“For the benefit of the sport, we need to get some players into the public’s conscious. Hopefully over the next 10 months, some will see the opportunity in front of them.”

MARTIN Offiah is represented by Simon Dent of Hero Talent Agency