Kear to stay on as Wales coach

John Kear will remain as head coach of the Wales national team, following his appointment to the top job at Bradford.

Kear, 63, had previously combined the role with his head of rugby job at Wakefield.

He led the Dragons to European Cup success in 2015 and qualification for the recent World Cup.

Kear told the official Wales Rugby League website: “It was a tough World Cup, but I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress since I took over in 2014.

“There is a planned structure to international rugby over the next couple of years and it’ll provide us with an opportunity to have a real go.

“After a good season with Wakefield, it was a tough end to the year with the World Cup, but I feel really energised and fresh for the challenges ahead with both Wales and Bradford.”

Kear’s first game in charge of Wales was a 42-18 defeat to Scotland back in October 2014.

They went on to win all three of their games in the 2015 European Cup, as well as a friendly against Keighley, but lost all three of their games at the World Cup, scoring just six points in each match, and conceding 156.