Dave Craven: Sacking Wayne Bennett would not solve England's endemic issues

Many of the problems seem to be endemic and irritatingly hard to eradicate.

Sunday’s 36-18 loss to Australia was the latest opportunity for the national side to offer hope that would ultimately end in another tournament elimination.

Rarely, though, if ever, has a top-tier side twice failed to find touch with a penalty as England criminally did in London.

A Yorkshire League Four coach would be apoplectic at that so you can only imagine Wayne Bennett’s reaction when two NRL stars gaffed in such fashion against the Kangaroos.

There has been some talk of Bennett, just months into the job, being jettisoned following this latest exit, but that is pure folly.

As much as his pre-match comments about being judged on winning games – they only won once against Scotland this tournament – could easily come back to haunt him, there would be no benefit to gain from changing the coach now. Bennett was, ostensibly, recruited with the 2017 World Cup in mind so let him lead the team there and complete his two-year contract.

Speaking to England players, they do seem genuinely engaged by this “master coach” whose vast, past experience is such a valuable commodity.

He does not escape unscathed – there must be question marks over some of his selections, particularly the validity of bizarrely leaving out livewire hooker Daryl Clark from his entire 17 on Sunday. That betrayed his problems at half-back, mind, and the fact he did not – and still does not – know his best combinations.

Pairing Kevin Brown and Gareth Widdop – a third different partnership in as many games – was a bold call that did not pay off and Bennett’s unease with the whole situation was illustrated by his decision to name a third half-back in George Williams on the bench, rather than Clark.

But it was the hosts’ inability to capitalise on their chances, spilling passes that would have resulted in tries and gifting mindless penalties away, that was the most galling aspect of the loss.

Bennett said problems would be “insurmountable” if they do not change their attitude and you can see where he is coming from with this; they self-implode when the need is for composure and an ability to play mistake-free, mundane football if necessary.

They were unable to build pressure and that was down to a combination of mental issues and the lack of quality in their kicking game. How Bennett must have looked on in disbelief at Danny Brough, with his broad Yorkshire accent, demonstrating time and again his glorious kicking repertoire for Scotland.

In reality, though, the crux of the matter is that England’s players desperately need more international games and fewer Super League encounters to hone their skills sufficiently.

He has got his wish to play Samoa in Sydney next May, which is a start, but the latter request is never likely to be fulfilled; clubs can largely ill-afford to reduce that fixture list due to financial demands, however much international hopes need it to happen.

Where England – or more precisely the RFL – could have helped themselves is in the staging of fixtures during the Four Nations.

Coventry should immediately be discarded as an international venue after the debacle of staging a double-header there on Bonfire Night of all nights, while Sunday’s crowd of just 35,569 at London Stadium was painfully low given 44,393 watched the Kiwis prosper there 12 months previously.

The Kangaroos, at a northern venue, would have attracted a far bigger crowd and atmosphere, too, compared to the cavernous and detached former Olympic venue, while another defeat in the capital now only makes it harder to sell the game there.