Brown favourite to take over at St Helens

Huddersfield's Nathan Brown is 6-4 favourite with Ladbrokes to over as permanent coach at St Helens after Saints sacked Royce Simmons following a disasterous start to the season.

Simmonds got the axe after Saints earned just one point from their last five Super League matches, their worst run since 1985, and Ladbrokes have reported a flood of money for Brown to take over at Langtree Park.

Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: "The odds suggest Saints will bring in an experienced coach in order to get back to winning ways. Four defeats on the bounce is not good enough for last year's finalists and all fingers are pointing at Brown."

St Helens' head of high performance Mike Rush and assistant coach Kieron Cunningham have taken temporary charge. Rush is 3-1 to get the job on a permanent basis, while Cunningham is 4-1. 

Ladbrokes have also eased St Helens to from 7-1 to8-1 for Grand final glory. Warrington Wolves remain the 2-1 favourites.