Shaun Wane pays Ellery Hanley huge compliment ahead of Combined Nations All Stars clash

England boss Shaun Wane has hailed former Wigan team-mate Ellery Hanley as “the best player I ever played with” as they prepare to cross swords on the international stage.

Hanley, a legendary figure of British rugby league, was last week named as the head coach of the Combined Nations All Stars side who will face England in a mid-season international on June 18.

His relationship with Wane goes way back to their playing days together in Wigan’s pack in the 1980s and their mutual respect runs deep.

Ex-prop Wane, who combines his England job with a part-time role at Wigan, said: “I remember playing with Ellery at Wigan in the early Eighties.

“Not the flashy games, not beating Manly [in the 1987 World Club Challenge] and winning things with him.

“He might not remember but I remember playing a game at Hull where we had to win to win the league and they had to win to stop being relegated.

“It was a brutal game – a really nasty game – and I remember me and Brian Case fighting with each other to carry the ball off our own end.

“We were getting absolutely smashed to pieces but Ellery was in the middle with us and taking the carries as well.

“The only difference was that at the top end of the pitch Ellery was scoring the tries but me and Brian weren’t!

“It told me everything about Ellery: he’d do the tough stuff down here and was such a competitive player.

“He’s the best player I ever played with without a shadow of a doubt.”

The mid-season game is seen as vital preparation for England in a World Cup year.

Wane admits he was left “devastated” by defeat in last year’s fixture against an All Stars coached by Australian World Cup-winning coach Tim Sheens.

It was Wane’s first game in charge of England and he reckons Hanley will make