Waite spurns South Sydney overtures

David Waite, the Great Britain coach, has rejected overtures suggesting that he might return home to take charge of South Sydney.

Souths have sacked their coach, Craig Coleman, before the season in Australia has even started and Waite is one of the names with whom they have been linked. Although he has had no direct approach, discreet enquiries have been made about his availability and he has insisted that he remains committed to his job in Britain.

"I'm not in a position to consider it," he said. "I've agreed an extension to my contract for another 12 months and that still has 21 or 22 months to run. When I left Australia it was with the thought that I wouldn't coach in the National Rugby League again. You never say never, but I'm very happy with what I'm doing."

Souths won their legal battle for reinstatement in the NRL last year, but struggled through their first season back in the competition and have now sacked Coleman because of the side's poor form in pre-season trial matches.

The former Wigan and Warrington player, Phil Blake, has been put in charge on a temporary basis. He is expected to be among the applicants for the post, along with the former Wigan coach John Monie.

Meanwhile, Waite has said that rugby league needs to put a World Cup back on the agenda. It looks certain that the tournament scheduled for 2005 will not take place and there is a risk that full-scale World Cups could lapse completely, because no nation is willing to underwrite the cost.

"They are obviously put off by what happened last time, but we need a World Cup as something for developing nations to aim for," said Waite. "I think it is a matter of not having one in 2005, rather than scrapping them altogether."

Oxford will be without their captain for the Varsity match at Richmond tomorrow. Luke Hanson has twisted a knee and will be out for six weeks.