England confirm that Sam Tomkins will miss the three-Test series against New Zealand as he has failed to recover from a knee injury.
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Tomkins’ withdrawal increases the chances of Wigan’s John Bateman playing at left centre in the opening Test – the position Hardaker may have moved to if McNamara had opted for Tomkins.
But when asked about his own position as the England coach, which has held since 2010, McNamara was unmoved.
McNamara added: “I’m making sure we’re fully focused for this series then we’ll work that bit out afterwards”.
“He’s worked so so hard and really has strengthened his knee but there is an underlying issue there and he will have to go back and seek further opinions in the next few weeks”.
McNamara has steadfastly refused to comment on his future at both club and country level, saying he will discuss his England role with RFL chief executive Nigel Wood at the end of the autumn internationals.
“I really love both aspects of the jobs and the aspects of both jobs complement each other”.
“It works for me and our group with the way everything is set up”.
McNamara has played down the prospect of England following New Zealand’s example by warming up for a series against a leading Super League club. We want everyone to contribute towards that and I’m in no real rush.
“There’s a couple of bumps and bruises from the France game but nothing major”.
He said: “We really have a huge responsibility to enhance our worldwide games”. France need help to achieve their potential, as they’re certainly a better team than the one that got beat by 80 points.
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Widdop’s view appears to have the support of the game’s global governing body, with an official Rugby League worldwide Federation statement on Thursday reading, in part: “A very strong performance (from England), three wins, could put pressure on the Kangaroos in second place”.
