MCCLENNAN HOPS TO IT WITH RABBITOHS

Future Rhinos Coach Brian McClennan is spending time this week with our partner NRL club, South Sydney Rabbitohs, beginning preparations for next season's training camp. McClennan was revealed as the next Leeds Rhinos Head Coach at the start of the month but will not take up the reins until 1st November. McClennan will be spending several weeks studying coaching and playing methods at National Rugby League outfit South Sydney Rabbitohs - and putting plans into place for next year's proposed joint pre-season training camp. He has also met up with the Rhinos Player Performance Manager Graham Davey who is currently over in Sydney as part of the ground breaking partnership with the Rabbitohs. Rhinos earlier this month announced a new partnership with South Sydney, with Brandon Punter from South Sydney being the first person to take part in the scheme. The Rabbitohs Deputy Chief Executive has just returned to Sydney after spending a month at Headingley Carnegie. "Brian is spending a bit of time at South Sydney," confirmed Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington. "He has a good relationship with South Sydney anyway, from his time in charge of the Kiwis. They had more current Kiwi internationals than any other NRL club. "He will be spending a couple of weeks with them and during that time he'll be looking at planning the pre-season trip to Florida next January. "He'll also be looking at planning a game between the two teams, at the end of the camp." Hetherington told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "It's the early stages of the relationship, but we will be looking to provide opportunities for some of our coaching staff to go over there, and also some of their people will be coming over here. "Brian won't really be looking at players while he's over there. There may be some player exchanges, but that is mainly going to be the elite young players, rather than senior players. "He will be spending time with their coaching staff and it's useful that Brian will be able to get together with Jason Taylor, their coach, to start some of the planning for Florida. "They will be getting together to do some joint stuff while they are in America."