Leeds coach McDermott rules out greater rugby union involvement

Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott has confirmed that he does help rugby union outfit Leeds Carnegie with advice and coaching tips.

He is adamant, however, that his involvement is not set to become more formal, and will not interfere with his coaching of the Rhinos.

“I certainly will be helping out, offering advice and lending a bit of support,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“Quite often I have a fair amount of dialogue with the players and I have a hell of a lot of dialogue with the coaches.

“But what I want to make really clear is that has always been the case ever since I’ve been head coach.

“My involvement has always been high and there’s always been a lot of synergy between the two clubs. This is nothing out of the ordinary, it has always gone on.

“I am not going to have an official role.”

While McDermott is open about the amount of contact he has had with important Carnegie figures and past coaches like Diccon Edwards, Jimmy Lowes, Gary Mercer and executive chairman Sir Ian McGeechan, he insists that such contact is unofficial.

“I am not all of a sudden going to become forwards coach, backs coach or kicking coach. I am not going to become a paid member of staff,” he said.

“Certainly whatever involvement I have will not detract from what I do with the Rhinos. That won’t happen.

“There’s a fair amount of ideas get talked about and swapped. This is just one of those periods where we will probably do it a bit more than we normally do.

“It doesn’t mean there’s anything official or I am becoming a paid member of their staff.”