Harris Courting Trouble As Bulls Threaten to Turn

Iestyn Harris and Bradford enter the next stage in their long-running legal battle with Leeds Rhinos today, although the affair could yet have another expensive twist, because an adverse result would almost certainly lead the Bulls to turn on their own player.

All the parties have now been called in for mediation more than two years after a High Court judge ruled in a preliminary hearing that Harris had been in breach of contract with Leeds when he returned from Welsh union to league with Bradford rather than the Rhinos in August 2004.

Bradford have written to Leeds asking them to drop their case that the Bulls induced Harris to breach his contract. This case has yet to be heard but in which they are claiming £2.6m in compensation.

However if Leeds choose to pursue the case after mediation, the Bulls are ready to continue the legal proceedings they instigated against their former captain in the autumn of 2004, even though the 31-year-old still has a season to run on the four-year contract he signed with them in 2004.

The case has already cost Bradford and Leeds well into six figures each in legal fees, and Harris has been playing for three seasons with potentially frightening financial implications hanging over him.

Great Britain's coach, Tony Smith, confirmed yesterday that Jamie Peacock will lead the Lions in the three-Test series against New Zealand, which starts in Huddersfield on Saturday.

Peacock has been the captain in eight of Britain's 10 Tests since Andy Farrell left for union in 2004, but only by default because of Paul Sculthorpe's injury problems. However the 29-year-old Leeds prop removed any doubts about his right to the role with his performances in last autumn's Tri-Nations series, and recaptured those standards in leading the Rhinos to the Super League title this month.

Peacock's Leeds team-mate Danny McGuire has been ruled out of the first Test after cracking a bone in his hand playing for the Northern Union against the New Zealand All Golds on Sunday.