Widnes target Sione Kite to bolster pack for Super League season

Widnes have identified Sione Kite, a 23-year-old Tongan prop sometimes known more prosaically as John, as the man to complete their pack for their return to the Super League next season. Kite has been released by Melbourne Storm after making only three senior appearances in two injury-affected seasons, but Widnes hope he will still be able to secure a work permit. The Vikings will step up their preparations on Boxing Day with a Cheshire derby at Warrington in which several of their other new signings are expected to play. The All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group, meanwhile, has written to the chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, and the director general, Mark Thompson, urging them to extend the deadline on the review of local radio which threatens coverage of many sports. "We feel the language used in the consultations is opaque and without additional clear information, the BBC has left fans of all sports entirely unaware of the impact any of the proposals will have," said Greg Mulholland, the Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West who is chairman of the rugby league group. "We feel that more could and should have been done to ensure those that the BBC serves have relevant information to take an informed decision. For these reasons, we have asked the BBC to extend their deadline, be clearer in their proposals across both consultations and simplify the way information is presented." The BBC has yet to announce the details of a new television deal for the Challenge Cup, but an agreement is thought to have been reached which will also preserve the weekly magazine programme The Super League Show, although under a new production company.