St Helens have tried to poach one of the NRL’s top assistant coaches as they look to replace former boss Paul Rowley, but any deal is set to be rejected.
The Red Vee have been without a permanent head coach since the exit of Rowley a month ago. Assistant boss Eamon O’Carroll has stepped up in the interim.
When he left, the club said that a thorough search would be done to identify his replacement, especially given that Rowley left just 23 games into a three-year deal.
One candidate identified was Queensland assistant boss Ben Te’o, who is believed to have had an interview with the Saints’ higher-ups over a potential switch to Super League.
Te’o has experience in the UK, but it didn’t come in rugby league, with the former Brisbane and South Sydney man playing for Leinster and Worcester in rugby union. He also represented England 18 times in the 15-man code.
Code Sports understands that an interview did take place, however, sources close to that masthead believe that Te’o is unlikely to move overseas, and he also won’t be taking up the head coach role of Queensland, which became available after the shock exit of Billy Slater.
Te’o is set to return to South Sydney, taking up an assistant’s role alongside Wayne Bennett for the 2027 season, whilst Australia boss Kevin Walters is believed to have contacted him over a potential coaching role ahead of this year’s Rugby League World Cup.
In terms of potential candidates for St Helens, from the original list that was released by bookmakers Betfred, Ben Hornby, Kurt Haggerty and Eamon O’Carroll have ruled themselves out, whilst Matt King and Michael Cheika have since landed new roles elsewhere.
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