McNamara to join England in part-time role

The Rugby Football League have always insisted they wanted a full-time appointment to succeed Tony Smith and ideally would have liked McNamara to take over immediately.

But Bradford – where he is under contract until the end of the campaign – have stood firm and insisted he sees out the deal, especially given the club's current on-field progress.

McNamara was unavailable for comment last night but it is understood an agreement has been made between his club and the RFL to make the transition.

Bulls chairman Peter Hood refused to be drawn but did confirm: "I can assure everyone Steve McNamara will be in charge of Bradford Bulls until the end of his contract."

The club yesterday announced their weekly press briefing would be held in Bradford tomorrow morning ahead of Sunday's visit from Hull KR.

That sparked speculation there may have been a late hitch in the England deal as the RFL were expected to call a press conference at the same time to unveil McNamara – Smith's England assistant for the last three years – 40 miles away in Manchester.

However, a deal has been finalised so he will cross the Pennines to outline his plans for England.

The Hull-born former Great Britain international had faced being in limbo as Bradford had not offered him a new contract beyond the end of November.

It is understood Hood was keen on keeping him at Odsal but the majority of the board were unsure following a couple of indifferent Super League campaigns.

They were due to meet next Monday to decide whether to give the Yorkshireman a new deal. They will instead convene to discuss finding a new coach for 2011, with the likelihood they will turn to Australia.

McNamara, meanwhile, will concentrate on finishing his Bulls career on a high.

Widely recognised as one of the country's leading young coaches, the 38-year-old has yet to reach a final with Bradford so will hope to prove his credentials during his remaining six months.

The challenge is to emulate Smith for both club and country. After the then Leeds Rhinos coach was appointed as England chief in March 2007, Smith went on to successfully combine roles for the rest of that season – Bradford are understood to have reminded the RFL of this arrangement in negotiations over McNamara's deal – and finished by leading the Rhinos to a Grand Final win over St Helens.

Smith then took charge of Great Britain's 3-0 series whitewash of New Zealand.

The Bulls finished a woeful ninth last season, prompting questions about McNamara, but with his current squad they are sitting fifth, are unbeaten in their last five games and in position to push on and potentially reach a first Grand Final since 2005.

After Sunday's 50-0 thrashing of Dewsbury, they have also secured a home draw against Leigh in the Carnegie Challenge Cup fifth round so McNamara will be eyeing a first Wembley visit for the club in 13 years.

On the international front, his first appointment will be the mid-season game with France at Leigh on June 12 before this autumn's Gillette Four Nations in Australia and New Zealand.

The main task for McNamara, who initially joined Bradford at the end of 2003 as Brian Noble's assistant, is leading the country towards the 2013 World Cup but first he will look to mastermind the defeat of Australia and New Zealand this year after reaching the Four Nations final in November.

It remains open to debate whether a full-time position is actually required.

Smith combined the roles to good effect, first with Leeds and later with Warrington, although eventually wanted to step down to concentrate on club duties and spend more time with his family.

With potentially only five games all year and minimal training days, there is probably an awkward middle ground – not enough action for a coach to feel fulfilled on a full-time basis yet combining it with a club role is asking too much.

McNamara could find it tough not having the daily inter-action he is currently used to but he has always expressed his desire to one day take charge of England.

The RFL had known since before the Four Nations began that Smith would be stepping down at the end of the tournament and could possibly have pushed a deal through for his assistant then, giving Bradford time to find a replacement for 2010.

However, wanting to make sure they made the correct choice, they insisted on a thorough interviewing and selection process – which has led right back to the Australian's able right-hand man.

The RFL are investigating reports of crowd trouble at Saturday's Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth-round tie between Hull and Leeds Rhinos at the KC Stadium.

The League have received a report from the stadium's ground safety officer and say they are working closely with both clubs in their investigation after it was claimed bottles of urine had been aimed at some Leeds fans.