England hoping for some "Roosters magic"

Australian-based English second rower Gareth Ellis is hopeful some of the magic of the Roosters’ fairy tale NRL season will rub off on England in the Four Nations under the guidance of Sydney’s coach Brian Smith. <br><br> Smith, the Dally M coach of the year who steered the Roosters from last place in 2009 to runners-up in 2010, will act as a mentor to new England coach Steve McNamara. <br><br> Brian’s brother Tony Smith was the England coach in 2008-09. Smith's role will be similar to that of fellow Australian Wayne Bennett, who helped New Zealand in their successful 2008 World Cup campaign. <br><br> "Steve says he is fantastic. I am really looking forward to working with him,” said Ellis, who has spent the past two seasons playing in the NRL with the Wests Tigers. <br><br> "He had a great year at the Roosters and hopefully some of that success and confidence will rub off on us." <br><br> When appointed in April, Smith said: "Working with England is not something I ever saw myself doing but I feel honoured to be involved. <br><br> "My first goal is to bring whatever Steve McNamara requires of me - if I have it - and help him with the day-to-day aspects of coaching. <br><br>"I'll also be updating Steve with the general trends in coaching Down Under and keeping him informed about the players in Australia and New Zealand." <br><br> England will have a warm-up Test against the NZ Maori on Saturday (Oct 16) in Auckland before their opening Four Nations match against the Kiwis at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, the following week (Sat, Oct 23). <br><br> They will face Australia on October 31 at AAMI Park in Melbourne; and play their last fixture against PNG at Eden Park, Auckland, on November 6. <br><br> The tournament Final will be played on November 13 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. <br><br> For more information on the 2010 Four Nations go to <a href="http://www.rlfournations.com">www.rlfournations.com</a> and join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fournations">Facebook</a>.