Kevin Sinfield is wary of travelling too far down Australian route

Bennett, the veteran Brisbane Broncos chief who has succeeded Steve McNamara as England coach, is thought to have sounded out Trent Hodkinson, Darcy Lussick and the Morris twins, Brett and Josh, ahead of the 2016 Four Nations Series.

Sinfield, who won 40 caps for his country and captained England up to the end of the 2013 World Cup, joined in the debate at his first media briefing as rugby director for the Rugby Football League.

“I’ve got one hat saying Wayne can pick who he wants but, having been a former England international, I would probably be disappointed if we pushed it too far,” Sinfield said.

“It’s a difficult one, but the decisions made so far have been for the right reasons.

“I’ve played with Chris Heighington, Maurie Fa’asavalu and Rangi Chase and every one of those players have wanted to put the jersey on.

“What I would say is that our competition is very strong and I’d like to think the group would be picked from our core base of players in the UK and our NRL players who have already played.”

Sinfield, who studied for a degree in sports business management towards the end of his playing career, rejected the offer of a coaching role with Leeds in favour of a desk job.

Although he anticipated that would initially be with a club, he says he was happy to be head-hunted by the governing body.

Sinfield, 35, also said he had been tempted to come out of retirement to play when approached by an NRL club during a visit to Australia in May to see Bennett and watch the State of Origin.

Meanwhile, RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: “The central task for Kevin is to structure the performance plan for the 2021 World Cup.

“We haven’t had an on-field champion in the senior team for quite some time, since Barrie-Jon Mather left.

“This gives us a chance to demonstrate our credentials in that area really well.”

Hull KR have reportedly agreed a deal with 65 year-old former Australia coach Tim Sheens to take over their helm for 2017 – if they avoid relegation.

Sheens, who guided Australia to the 2013 World Cup, is currently halfway through a three-year deal as Salford Red Devils director of rugby but is keen to returning to coaching.