![\"Ex-England](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2__OHO9107.jpg\")
Ex-England coach Steve McNamara, who recently left his post as Catalans Dragons boss.<\/p>\nFormer Catalans Dragons head coach has spoken about the appointment of his replacement and where he might head next.Ex-England coach Steve McNamara, who recently left his post as Catalans Dragons boss.<\/p>\n
Steve McNamara hopes Catalans<\/a> give his successor Joel Tomkins crucial support – and he hasn\u2019t ruled out switching codes for his next coaching job. McNamara was sacked as Dragons head coach in May with his assistant Tomkins promoted to the top job yesterday<\/a>.<\/p>\n It surprised many given the former Wigan and England star, 38, had only won one of his eight games in interim charge and is a relative coaching rookie. But ex-England chief McNamara, 53, said: \u201cWhat Joel\u2019s got is experience both as a player and coach at Catalans Dragons which is really important, knowing the intricacies of the job.<\/p>\n \u201cBy that I mean, the travel, weather, language and culture. He\u2019s got an outstanding rugby league knowledge and they\u2019re the strengths. What he hasn\u2019t got, obviously, is experience on the coaching perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s really important he\u2019s surrounded by people who are looking after the other parts and elements of the job – organisation, recruitment, retention, all things he only needs to be involved minimally in – so he can concentrate solely on the coaching.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important he has some really good support staff around him and I wish him all the best.\u201d<\/p>\n McNamara, meanwhile, has been heavily linked with the Leeds job if head coach Brad Arthur doesn\u2019t stay on in 2026. But on his future, he said: \u201cI\u2019ve been off that treadmill for a few weeks now and I\u2019ve used my time to visit some places.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m heading back to France next week to visit some rugby union clubs and potentially Australia in a couple of weeks to spend some time with some rugby league specific things. What lies ahead, I\u2019m not sure. I\u2019m really refreshed, excited and ready to go again with the right opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether that be in rugby union, or England, France, Australia, New Zealand, wherever it may, we\u2019ll see what unfolds and hopefully I get something really exciting and challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n Catalans, set to miss the play-offs for a second year running, are expected to have a major clear-out at the end of the season<\/a>. Looking back on his time in Perpignan, where McNamara brought glory with a first-ever Challenge Cup in 2018 and two Grand Final appearances in the space of just three years, what was the biggest thing he learned? McNamara said: “I had eight incredible years.<\/p>\n “If you’d said I’d go there and achieve the things we did, I\u2019d have snapped your hands off. Because I was there a long time, the biggest thing to come out of it for me was the importance of recruitment and retention<\/a>.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s more and more prevalent in the game now. I said after the 2023 Grand Final [loss against Wigan], I made no apologies for it, I was absolutely blinkered in terms of trying to get that win. It was our second Grand Final in three years.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m sure Matt Peet was blinkered in that well but the reality behind the scenes was we, as a club, knew we had San Tomkins retiring, we only knew late that Mitchell Pearce was retiring, but from that team we lost those two, Adam Keighran, Tyrone May, Matt Whitley and more.<\/p>\n “But the importance of forward-planning was there because even from that Grand Final the following year we lost Mike McMeeken, Tom Johnstone, Tom Davies and then, later on, Arthur Mourgue. That, for me, was the biggest learning. I got obsessed in terms of winning that Grand Final and we took our eye off the ball in what we were doing moving forward.<\/p>\n “I\u2019d been there six years at that stage. I take my responsibility for that as coach but, ultimately, having a recruitment manager\/sporting director in place looking after that sort of thing is becoming increasingly important.\u201d<\/p>\n Here at All Out Rugby League<\/a>, we are dedicated to bringing you the best rugby league coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here<\/strong><\/a> to subscribe.<\/p>\n