Yorkshire Carnegie appoint Mercer

Yorkshire Carnegie have appointed former New Zealand rugby league international Gary Mercer as their new head coach ahead of the new Greene King IPA Championship season.

The 48-year-old former Bradford, Warrington, Leeds and Halifax second rower, who has worked for the last decade with the Scottish Rugby Union and Glasgow Warriors, succeeds another former rugby league international, James Lowes, who has taken over as coach of Bradford Bulls.

Carnegie director of rugby Chris Gibson said: "We are delighted to have secured Gary on a two-year contract and this marks an exciting time for the club."