Willie Peters’ hopes of becoming England head coach will have risen further after leading Hull KR to World Club Challenge glory – and now the Australian has been giving a ringing endorsement by two of the NRL’s biggest names.
Brisbane pair Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh have showered the Rovers coach with praise, with Walsh telling Hull Live in an exclusive sit down that Australia would not have won the Ashes series 3-0 if it was not for the contribution of Peters to the touring party.
Peters was part of Kangaroos head coach Kevin Walters’ coaching staff for the autumn Test series, with the tourists completing an Ashes whitewash that ultimately cost England head coach Shaun Wane his job, creating a position to lead the country at the World Cup at the end of the year.
Asked about the rise of back-to-back Super League coach of the year Peters, Brisbane Broncos and Aussie Test superstar Walsh couldn’t speak highly enough of his dealings at international level with the Rovers coach.
“Willie was awesome,” Walsh told Hull Live. “We probably don’t win 3-0 if it wasn’t for Willie!
“Having his knowledge and his experience of the game and to be able, for myself, to work with him and for him to give me some tips on what the English team would bring. He put a lot of questions in my head at ease and he made me feel a lot more comfortable running out there. I trusted in Willie ‘s plan.”
KR’s 30-24 World Club Challenge triumph against Walsh and the Broncos will have only strengthened the reputation in Australia of the 46-year-old former South Sydney Rabbitohs and Newcastle Knights assistant, who this week expressed an interest in the job at NRL’s newest side the PNG Chiefs when they enter the competition in 2028.
That would still give him a further two years at Rovers and an opportunity to coach England, with fellow Aussie and Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur also a contender. While Walsh has praised the impact of the job Peters has already done, his Brisbane team-mate Reynolds has spoken about the potential moving forward.
“He’s a coach going places,” said Reynolds after losing the World Club Challenge to Peters’ team.. “He’s done a lot of really good things in a short period of time.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Willie though I wish the ending could have been different. He’s just got a great mindset and philosophy, and his coaching style is brilliant.
“He’s got a big future, whether that’s potentially in the NRL or here but he could definitely do it.”
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