Wayne Bennett set to be offered chance to lead England to 2021 World Cup

WAYNE Bennett is set to be given the chance to lead England to the 2021 Rugby League World Cup final at Old Trafford, after a tour of top Premier League football grounds including the Emirates.

The Australian's current contract expires at the end of the planned Great Britain tour to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

But an extended deal looks certain to be tabled then and Rugby Football League rugby director Kevin Sinfield, who believes the mid-season Test will be reinstated in 2020, believes he wants to stay.

He said: “Wayne is really keen to continue and I’m really keen at this stage for it to carry on.

“There’s a genuine appetite for this to move forward, but we’ll stick to our plan and whatever happens in 2019 we’ll get to the end of it.

“There’s a trust and honesty between Wayne and myself and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”

Old Trafford was named as the host of the 2021 tournament final - and England will have to triumph at three iconic football grounds to lift the trophy.

For their quarter-final will be at Anfield and semi-final at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, which will host a non-football event for the first time.

Newcastle's St James' Park will host the opening group game while Sheffield United's Bramall Lane and the University of Bolton Stadium hold the others.

Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium will also host a match while the home of Super League champions Wigan has missed out while Workington’s new stadium will host three games, with temporary seating boosting it to the required 12,000-capacity.

But tournament chief executive Jon Dutton said: “If you look at the proliferation of venues we’ve selected across the north-west, someone unfortunately had to miss out.

“If you look at the borough of Wigan, we had Leigh and we’re going to Bolton, which is around the corner but I think offers an opportunity with a different audience. We can’t just speak to the rugby league community, we’ve got to go beyond that.”

Sinfield, who says the Great Britain tour in October and November has not yet been announced because of ‘commercials’, spoke to Bennett and the thought of playing at iconic venues excites them both.

He added: “Hopefully it’s Anfield, the Emirates and Old Trafford - it doesn’t get much better than those three.

“I caught up with Wayne and he was absolutely delighted. He thinks the next few years for England can be really special.”

The draw takes place on November, then a ballot for games takes place next July with tickets going on sale next October or November.