Rugby League: Endacott gets last laugh

By PETER JESSUP

There are plenty of quirks in the world of rugby league, and Frank Endacott's announcement yesterday of his signing to coach a second Warriors team, this time in the north of England, drips with irony.

"London Broncos next," the jovial Kiwi coach quipped in reference to the job John Monie picked up last month after being sacked by the Wigan Warriors.

Endacott has approval at both ends to continue taking the Kiwis towards next year's World Cup. He will take two weeks out to prepare for the Anzac test and a similar time before the Cup, and will have the players only for that period anyway.

But it wasn't a situation the New Zealand Rugby League was prepared to tolerate 16 years ago, when it adopted a stance the rugby union still maintains, in refusing to accept that Graham Lowe could coach Wigan and the national team.

Endacott has the full support of the NZRL. It regards the appointment as an opportunity for him to learn more, see more of the English-based New Zealand players and stay tuned rather than go rusty.

The 51-year-old former Cantabrian was rapt with the one-year deal he has secured and apologetic that he had told the media two days before that he didn't know of any suggestion he was a target to replace also-sacked Great Britain coach Andy Goodway, who had filled in since Monie left in May.

"It's one of the great clubs in the game ... I regard it as an honour to have been asked and yeah, I jumped at it," Endacott said of the call he got from Wigan board chairman Maurice Lindsay early on Tuesday.

His only comment about the money was, "I hope they haven't got a Harrods in Wigan" delivered in a broadly smiling aside when asked what wife Joan will do with her days there. But he will be on a minimum sterling 150,000 with bonuses.

It's a cut-throat business, though. Goodway was sacked despite finishing fourth in the England league and fifth in the Euro Super League. He followed Graeme West and Eric Hughes, who also failed to last 12 months.

Again, Endacott will pick up a team Monie bought. "All the success I've had is where I've selected the team. I'd like that chance and if the results stack up there is the opportunity to extend the contract. Meantime I'll work with what I've got."

Denis Betts is the only exAuckland Warrior there but Endacott indicated yesterday that Wigan would be signing prop Brady Malam, who was married yesterday, within 48 hours.

Former Kiwi, Auckland and Wigan Warriors centre Dean Bell has just started as junior development officer and will take the side until Endacott shifts over on January 2 and when he departs for the Anzac assignment in April.

Junior Kiwis coach Gary Kemble and world nines coach Graeme Norton have been officially appointed as the Kiwi coach's eyes and ears in relation to NRL and locally based players in the frame for Kiwi selection, but Endacott has largely made his decisions there. Few changes are expected to the squad.

He will undoubtedly enjoy the more open, less defensively organised game in England. His approach has always been to tell the players to back themselves and try things and that's the English way - they like to see plenty of tries. As long as they're winning.

Endacott has a great record over in Great Britain, and over Great Britain - winning with the Junior Kiwis in 1993 after he succeeded Howie Tamati as coach, enjoying World Club Championship wins, a three-test series whitewash here in 1996 with the Kiwis, and a series win there in 1998.

Endacott is the longest-serving and most successful New Zealand coach with 17 wins, two draws and nine losses over his six-year tenure. All the losses have been to Australia and in that regard he is 4-9 down. Graham Lowe's record was 2-8.

And the last bit of irony: the new Warriors management sacks Endacott and chief executive Bill MacGowan (under-17s soccer world championship organiser), and both go on to higher-profile jobs that pay more.