Unwanted Goodway joins the talent exodus

Andy Goodway has become the latest rugby league figure to take up employment with rugby union, but he intends to keep his role as chairman of the Rugby League Players' Association despite his new job as Northampton's defensive coach.

Goodway, the former Oldham, Paris, Wigan and Great Britain coach, believes that his part-time job will not threaten his position with the players' union.

"I can't see why it would compromise me,'' he said. "This Northampton job is extracurricular – something I'm doing for personal development. It's nobody's business but mine. Nobody has offered me a job in rugby league.''

Goodway joins Ellery Hanley and Phil Larder as coaches working in the code other than the one in which they made their names, a development that has gone hand in hand with players of the calibre of Jason Robinson and Henry Paul crossing over.

Super League clubs will use their next meeting to discuss ways of fighting back against the unwelcome attentions of rugby union, with the Wigan and Great Britain full-back, Kris Radlinski, the latest to be tipped for a change of codes.

The chairman of the Rugby League, Sir Rodney Walker, has declared his intention of approaching the government to try to prevent the RFU financing further raids on League.

Leeds have failed in a bid for the Bradford and England second-rower, Jamie Peacock. "We had a formal offer from them, but it's a definite no,'' said the Bulls' chief executive, Abi Ekoku. "Jamie's very happy here. He's being coached by the man most responsible for bringing him through as the player he is and I know Brian Noble wouldn't consider for a moment letting him go.''