Bradford Bulls chairman Chris Caisley has denied that the £2 million plus on offer to clubs in the Zurich Premiership next season was a consideration in their decision to take over Wakefield Rugby Union Club.

The hand-out to rugby union's elite is more than three times the £680,000 available to Super League clubs.

But Caisley, who will chair the board of the new club, said: "If you look at the wage bills in the Premier League (Zurich Premiership), you will find that most of that (£2 million-plus) is gone," he said.

"It's all about growing your business, and obviously on the back of that you hope to gain financially.

"To set your stall out and say we're interested in getting hold of £2.4 million is a pretty silly way of going about it."

The new board to run Wakefield RUFC will comprise four Bulls directors - Caisley (chairman), Roland Agar, Peter Hood and Mark Minton - and the rugby union club's duo of committee member Gordon Braide and Donald Beaumont, chairman of the rugby committee at College Grove.

The Bulls' takeover has been criticised by Wake-field MP David Hinchliffe, who used to play for Wakefield Colts and Sandal as well as several amateur rugby league clubs.

He said he was "surprised and sorry" that the College Grove club had been "seduced" into bed by the Bulls.