RFL appoints overseas coach

Rugby League today followed the example of the Football Association by appointing their first overseas coach for the national team.

Australian David Waite, 48, was chosen to lead Great Britain into Ashes battle with the touring Kangaroos in the autumn after holding off a late challenge from former national coach Malcolm Reilly.

Waite, who will combine the job with his current duties as RFL technical director, succeeds Andy Goodway, who was on the four-man shortlist from which the League's board of directors named their man.

The move will incense the game's traditionalists but the League are merely following the growing trend of leading British sports admininstrators to look abroad for their top coaches.

Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson was the new England soccer boss, New Zealander Graham Henry will take the British Lions rugby union team to Australia this summer and Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher is currently in charge of England's cricket team in Sri Lanka.

Waite's appointment virtually completes the Australasian colonisation of British rugby league.

Ten of the 12 Super League coaches are from either Australia or New Zealand and Aussie Shaun McRae was in charge of the Scotland team for the recent World Cup. Even the RFL's director of rugby Greg McCallum is an Australian.

Waite also headed off the challenge of John Kear, England coach in the recent World Cup.