Ex-Bradford Bulls coach Francis Cummins switches codes to join Doncaster Knights renaissance

FORMER Bradford Bulls head coach Francis Cummins has joined Doncaster Knights as skills and backs coach ahead of the 2016/17 season.

By The Newsroom

Published 5th Jul 2016, 09:19 BST

Updated 25th Aug 2016, 20:59 BST

He replaces ex-Hull FC stand-off Paul Cooke, who left at the end of the last campaign to return to rugby league as an assistant at Leigh Centurions.

Former Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain winger Cummins, 39, started work immediately yesterday under director of rugby Clive Griffiths and alongside Glen Kenworthy and Dougie Flockhart.

The South Yorkshire club are looking to build on last season’s heroics when they finished second in the league and reached a maiden Championship final, narrowly losing out on promotion when losing to Bristol over two legs.

Cummins, who was head coach at Odsal in 2013 and 2014, was an assistant with Yorkshire Carnegie last season until leaving in February but says he is attracted by the “sense of team spirit and ambition” at Doncaster.