League: Anderson denies St Helens have come calling

Daniel Anderson

Daniel Anderson has denied he has had an approach from St Helens to take up the coaching reins after the suspension of another Aussie, Ian Millward.

The Kiwis coach also denied approaching the club and said this was a non-issue until they called for applications.

"There aren't too many jobs in rugby league that are by application," he said yesterday.

Anderson is contracted to the New Zealand Rugby League to build an elite-player development programme and coach the Kiwis until the end of the Tri-Nations in early December and intends seeing that out. But he does want a club job.

Millward, the most successful coach in St Helens history, was sacked for gross misconduct.

He was suspended last week and the club announced yesterday that it had "no option" but to dismiss him with 2 1/2 years of his contract to run - a move that will inevitably trigger a hostile reaction from fans who demonstrated in his favour last week.

"The decision to terminate Ian's employment has not been taken lightly," said the Saints chairman, Eamonn McManus.

"Unfortunately, given events, the club has been left with no option. No one person is bigger than St Helens rugby football club. The long-term name and reputation of the club is paramount and cannot be sacrificed to accommodate the kind of unacceptable behaviour displayed by the head coach, no matter what his coaching skills and reputation."

Millward said he was "hugely disappointed with the news".

His solicitor, Richard Cramer, said: "Ian has immediately launched an appeal and he remains cautiously optimistic that he can be reinstated."

McManus said Millward was dismissed for "an unprovoked aggressive, foul-mouthed attack against a young employee of St Helens, a sustained, intimidatory, aggressive and foul-mouthed tirade at a young, female employee of Warrington" and "swearing at the fourth official at the Bradford Easter Monday game".

"It is beyond question that these matters have brought the good name of St Helens into disrepute."

The chairman also revealed that "other matters of alleged misconduct - some potentially more serious than those already decided upon - were being investigated by the club".

McManus said those could be taken further, if Millward contested his dismissal in court.

Assistant coach Dave Rotheram takes charge of Saints but Anderson is the early favourite to take over.

"We've had some unsolicited applications from some of the best coaches in the world," McManus said.

- additional reporting INDEPENDENT