In Part IV, we look at how Bennett has been a passionate and influential figure in shaping international rugby league since he first took charge of the Kangaroos in 1998 to now.
Wayne Bennett planted the seed for France to host the 2025 World Cup, and the 73-year-old hasn’t given up on the possibility of coaching at international level again.
“Souths were the first club I met with, and Wayne impressed upon me that I must do something to help France and rebuild France - that was critical to the international game,” Grant said. As the NRL’s newest club, the Dolphins were the most impacted by the World Cup in England at the end of last season as they were unable to assemble their squad until mid-January, but Bennett remained a strong advocate for the tournament.
“Wayne has had a massive influence on international rugby league for the right reasons, because he wants to see it succeed,” former ARL CEO Geoff Carr said. “Wayne was never going to lose his job over that and from memory I had spoken to him about that before the team returned home. He wanted to be involved but recommended that Stephen Kearney, the Kiwis great who was considered an NRL coach in waiting under Craig Bellamy at the Storm, be the New Zealand coach.“I went to Sydney for the annual NRL coaches meeting and Wayne was there,” Kearney recalls.
However, Bennett insisted on their roles and the pair worked well together as they guided a team, which included Benji Marshall, Nathan Fien, Nathan Cayless, Adam Blair and Issac Luke, to a 34-20 defeat of Australia in the World Cup final.“We had seven odd weeks together and our relationship grew as the campaign went on,” Kearney said.
"We were down at halftime but he still gave the lads a level of confidence that we were able to get the job done.” However, Bennett immediately won the nervous England players over with a simple address about his coaching philosophies at their first team meeting. “It was just very simple, and his methods were just about getting us to play for one another and enjoying ourselves at the right time.”
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