THOMAS Leuluai has been told he can be a spy behind enemy lines as New Zealand look to ruin England’s rugby league progress.
The Kiwis are the next in line for Wayne Bennett’s men, both in next month’s one-off Test in Denver and the Autumn’s three-game series, after their near miss in last year’s World Cup final.
And new coach Michael Maguire has confirmed he will pick Wigan star Leuluai’s brains on the best Super League stars he will come up against.
He also believes it is only a matter of time before the man he had at the Warriors when he was in charge in 2010 and 2011 follows him into the coaching ranks.
Maguire told SunSport: “I’ll definitely consult with Tommy. He has a great knowledge of the game.
“He really excelled for me when I was there, his knowledge around being able to set up a game plan and build pressure on teams was paramount to the team having success. In time, Tommy will be a coach.”
Maguire was the man who turned Sam Tomkins from a young stand-off into a devastating full-back and revealed he knew from minute one that he will be something special – adding it will be ‘different’ if the 29-year-old, left out of the Elite Performance Squad, is not in Denver.
And as he looks to return to these shores in October, he admits he still has a piece of Wigan at his home Down Under in the form of a banner, while saluting his replacement Shaun Wane, who is leaving at the end of the season.
He added: “I still have the banner. It’s something I’ll keep forever and will probably pass on to my children.
“We can’t hang it up, though, as it’s about the size of a house but it’s one thing that allows me to have a lot of great memories. The way we were treated as a family at Wigan was quite incredible and the impact around my coaching is that it was basically my starting point.
“It was great to see Shaun take over, I’ve seen that team rise and win trophies since I’ve left and Sam came out of the England camp when I first met him. He came into training with Wigan and straight away I felt he was going to be doing something special.
“It will be a bit different if Sam isn’t there but whoever is put in front of you, as a coach you have to be prepared and aware of their game, so I’ll be doing that with whoever replaces Sam.”
Leave a comment