McAvoy set for Salford return

Salford have put out feelers to bring their former player Nathan McAvoy back to the club. McAvoy moved from Bradford to play rugby union for Saracens at the end of the 2002 season, but has had limited first-team opportunities and is currently injured.

His contract expires in May and the Salford chairman, John Wilkinson, who brought McAvoy into the professional game with his local club, has spoken to his agent about the possibility of bringing him back home. Any deal would be subject to fitting him within their salary cap after already completing much of their recruitment for their first season back in Super League.

St Helens will announce a rare double signing of high-profile rugby union players next week.

Saints have completed the deal for two members of the Samoan World Cup squad and have called a press conference to unveil them.

The Samoans, a winger and a forward, will be the first to switch to rugby league following the tournament in Australia - an important boost for the code at a time when many were predicting that the traffic would be solely in the opposite direction.

The Rugby League is ready to announce at its annual general meeting that it has wiped out almost £2m worth of debt, which had been largely left over from the 2000 World Cup, and is back in the black thanks to tighter control of its finances and a profitable Test series against Australia.

The RFL's executive chairman, Richard Lewis, said that the governing body will now be proposing to its member clubs that it becomes a limited company at the meeting, to be held on 14 January.

One of those clubs, Leeds, has announced record pre-season takings for both season tickets and merchandise.