Goulding accused of drunken outburst

Bobbie Goulding's future as the France coach is in jeopardy after allegations of drunken incidents at an event this week.

The Rugby League has confirmed that it is investigating reports that Goulding had to be restrained from attacking the referee Steve Ganson and an Australian journalist at the International Player of the Year dinner in Leeds.

Goulding, a former Great Britain scrum-half, was a shock appointment by the French earlier this year, having only coached in two stints at Rochdale Hornets previously. Under his direction, France have lost all three of their games in the Four Nations, but have performed creditably in the first half in each case and shown an undeniable improvement from last year's World Cup.

Much now depends on how seriously the French Federation take the matter, which has echoes of an incident early in Goulding's career, when he was arrested for attacking two diners in an Auckland bar.