Hull KR's Danny McGuire heartened by English appointments as he continues coaching apprenticeship

The 40-year-old got a taste of life as a head coach last year following Tony Smith's departure, steering the Robins to an eighth-place finish amid an injury crisis.

McGuire is settling back into the ranks at Craven Park as Rovers continue to build towards next month's Super League opener against Wigan Warriors, a club that have rediscovered their spark under Matt Peet.

The former Leeds Rhinos half-back views the Warriors as the perfect example of what can be achieved by promoting from within.

"I've got a lot of respect for Wigan and am good mates with the coach there," McGuire told The Yorkshire Post.

"It was a fantastic appointment and a bit of a ballsy one. It would have been easy for them to recruit an Australian or British coach with a lot of experience but they had belief in a young English coach and he repaid their faith with a Challenge Cup win.

"We'll always have some influence from overseas and rightly so. We've had some brilliant coaches come from Australia and New Zealand.

"It's great that we still see young English coaches getting an opportunity. It gives you something to strive for. When you are an assistant or working your way up through the academy, you can see there is a pathway to the top."

Eight of the 12 Super League head coaches are British, including two recent appointments in Mark Applegarth and Paul Wellens.

McGuire has backed Applegarth to defy the doubters as Wakefield Trinity boss.

"I know him well," said McGuire. "He's a great lad.

"He's been at Wakey a fair while looking after the scholarship and academy before working his way up to an assistant. He's done it the hard way.

"Again, it's another appointment where people are wondering what they're thinking but if you know the type of person and coach he is, you applaud it and say it's a really smart move by Wakey.

"He's well respected by all the boys there. The lads who joined us from Wakey couldn't speak highly enough of him.

"It's going to be a tough challenge – there's no getting away from that – but I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job."

McGuire got a feel for the pressure that comes with a top job after being thrown in at the deep end last season.

The ex-Great Britain international improved the fortunes of a team at a low ebb, an invaluable experience for a coach making his way.

When the time comes, McGuire wants to be offered a head coach position based on his coaching ability rather than his playing achievements.

"It rubber-stamped that I need a bit more experience," he said on his spell as interim boss.

"Some of the challenges you face as a head coach are probably not what you'd expect. There's a lot of things you have to deal with off the field. It does give you a bit of an eye-opener if you do want to go down that road.

"To be a head coach you need to serve an apprenticeship and do the hard yards. There's always the odd coach who gets a job based on what they've done in their playing career and aren't successful.

"I need to do more understudy stuff and learn and make mistakes. Who knows further down the line if something pops up.

"That's not at the forefront of my mind at the minute. I'm just doing my job as best I can for Hull KR."