Andy Robinson has gone straight to the top of the Super League in asking Leeds Rhinos, who were crowned champions at Old Trafford last Saturday, for permission to train with them in the next few months.

The Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington confirmed last night that he had reached a provisional agreement with Robinson and his assistant Phil Larder, the former Great Britain league coach.

"I haven't seen all the details yet but Phil mentioned it to me recently and in principle we are keen to help," said Hetherington, who has already courted controversy in rugby league with the unique cross-code partnership at Leeds.

"Certainly at international level I think there ought to be more cooperation between our respective codes."

The Rhinos already share a training base in Kirkstall with the Leeds Tykes, their rugby union sister club, and Hetherington revealed that Daryl Powell, the former Great Britain international who became Leeds's director of rugby last autumn, had been given access to the England rugby union set-up over the past six months.

Larder has also maintained his close links with league. He was a spectator at a Leeds match this summer, although only on a social basis, and has also been a regular at Leigh in the National League watching his son David.

The sessions are unlikely to start until early next year because the Super League season has just reached its conclusion, although Great Britain are about to play in the Tri-Nations series.