Widnes name Endacott as coach

Widnes Have appointed the experienced Frank Endacott as their new coach on a two-year contract.

Widnes Have appointed the experienced Frank Endacott as their new coach on a two-year contract.

The former Wigan, Auckland and New Zealand coach helped to steer the club to safety in Super League last season, when he acted as an advisor to the acting coach Stuart Spruce. "The short time I spent with Widnes really whetted my appetite and I'm excited by the prospects at the club," he said. "Widnes are a club with immense potential."

Endacott asked for assurances that the club would give him the resources to recruit better players before agreeing to take the job. He is expected to arrive in mid-November.

Darren Abram and his assistant, Tommy Martyn, have both agreed to give up their day jobs in order to coach Leigh in Super League next season. Leigh qualified for promotion by beating Whitehaven in the National League One Grand Final last Sunday, but Abram was initially uncertain about the uncertainties of full-time coaching with a side widely expected to come straight back down again.

Martyn retired as a player after the Grand Final and will now concentrate on supporting Abram, whilst the club is also looking for a new chief executive to replace Allan Rowley, who has stood down to set up his own sports management company.

New Zealand have called up the Melbourne Storm prop Alex Chan to replace Tony Puletua for the English section of the forthcoming Tri-Nations tournament. Puletua is to have shoulder surgery after playing for the Kiwis against Australia in Auckland today.