A leading coach has issued a warning against holding back on rugby league expansion - and his vision includes at top-flight side in Cumbria.

Brian Noble has told old boss Marwan Koukash that he shouldn't hold back on the sport's expansion, giving it an international flavour.

Noble, who was Koukash’s first appointment as head coach when he took over the Salford Red Devils four years ago, is on a collision course with the controversial racehorse owner after heading up a bold new venture in Canada.

Koukash has publicly criticised the Rugby Football League for admitting Toronto Wolfpack into Kingstone Press League 1 for 2017, arguing the governing body should not support overseas ventures at the expense of the game’s heartlands.

Noble, who has been appointed as the Wolfpack director of rugby, recently flew out to Toronto to see for himself the progress being made and is excited as ever over the prospects.

Rugby league fans are watching with interest the success of the Canadian venture, which - depending on this season's outcomes and how the fixture list stacks up - could see Whitehaven, Workington Town and Barrow Raiders face the prospect of Canadian matches.

“The game feels as though it’s treading water a little in terms of its overall reach at the moment, which is why I really hope the venture I’m involved in with Toronto Wolfpack is a success,” the former Bradford, Wigan and Great Britain boss told the latest issue of Forty20 magazine.

“It’s enthused a lot of people over there and I’d hope we might become the second favourite team of a lot of British fans.

“I’ve heard the noises made in Canada and they’ve got the desire and ambition to jump through any necessary hoops. It has created a stir for a team starting at the very bottom of the ladder but opening up a potential new market for the sport.

“Only time will tell if we get to the most rarefied air but, absolutely, the sport needs this exotic influx.

"My vision still sees teams in Dublin, Glasgow, a top-flight presence in Cumbria, two in France, Holland... people want far-reaching exhibitions and events these days, you can’t get away from that.

“I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face, we have the greatest product in the world. For us to be perceived as – and to keep it a virtual secret on - the M62 corridor is a travesty.

“We still have a wonderful group of players who aren’t kept out of sight or wrapped in cotton wool. You can meet them down the aisle in the local supermarket and that’s to our tremendous credit. But we’ve got to take some chances and be a bit more courageous.”

Toulouse were also a target for Koukash’s vocal assault but Noble points to the original aims of Super League and insists the game must expand or risk a slow death.

“The game is less vibrant and exciting than it was when Super League first started,” said Noble, who guided the Bulls to five consecutive Grand Finals. “Is it in need of a re-boot? Probably.

“Yes, we’re making money according to the accounts, but I don’t want us to be the richest sport going to its grave because we didn’t spend it."