Chris Anderson yesterday became the highest-profile rugby league coach to switch codes when he signed a two-year contract with Newport Gwent Dragons.

A year ago Anderson was in charge of the Australian rugby league side as well as Cronulla Sharks, but he was sacked by the Sharks in November and lost his position with the Kangaroos in February to his predecessor, Wayne Bennett.

The 52-year-old Anderson was persuaded by his friend Rod Macqueen, the former Wallabies coach, to consider a career in union. His name was submitted to the Dragons two months ago after they lost their coach-to-be Declan Kidney to Leinster and the Welsh region needed little persuading to hire the former Canterbury Bulldog and Australia wing, whose first foray into coaching came at Halifax 20 years ago.

"It will prove to be either an inspired choice or a blunder among blunders," said the Newport director Tony Brown. "We had a torrid time last season because of all the politics involved in setting up a region from two clubs, but now that is sorted we believe Chris will help instil the professionalism to take us to the next level."

Anderson, who is taking legal action against Cronulla, admitted he was struggling to adapt to contested scrums and lineouts. "They are like Chinese chequers to me," he said. "I leave them to the other coaches and my job is the overall picture, starting with fitness, which I believe won England the World Cup.

"If I had made this move 10 years ago it would have been a big deal, but the difference between the two codes has narrowed a lot since then. The games are not so far apart: league places more emphasis on power, but union is getting there and I have not made that much of a jump.

"I know I am going to have to win the locals over. It was the same at Halifax: they spat at me for three weeks and then I won them over."

All the other former league coaches who have come into union, such as Phil Larder, Ellery Hanley and Clive Griffiths, have done so as specialist coaches. Anderson is the first one to cross the divide and be put in charge of a side, even though he has no direct experience of union. The Dragons' South Africa full-back Percy Montgomery has signed a contract that commits him to the club until 2007. Bath's director of rugby Jack Rowell is expected to announce today that he will be remaining at the Recreation Ground for another year.