JIMMY Lowes today completed a return to his spiritual home after being unveiled as the Bulls’ new head coach on a three-year deal.

As exclusively revealed in last Tuesday’s Telegraph & Argus, Lowes was keen to succeed Francis Cummins in the hot-seat and made his interest known to Bradford chairman Marc Green.

The pair met last week and, following successful talks, Leeds Carnegie have granted Lowes a release from his contract as head coach at Headingley.

The 44-year-old former hooker enjoys iconic status at Odsal having spent eight years as a player with the Bulls, winning three Super League titles, two Challenge Cups and a League Leaders Shield.

He was named man of the match in Bradford's 2002 World Club Challenge triumph over Newcastle Knights and scored 84 tries in 205 appearances for the club.

Lowes was this morning unveiled to members of the media at a packed press conference and Bulls chairman Green said: “We are absolutely delighted to have someone of James' calibre in place as our new head coach.

“As a board of directors, we recognise his talents, what he has achieved in the game, the names he has worked under and alongside in previous roles, and also what he achieved, last season, with Leeds Carnegie.

“Regardless of what division we play in next year, we believe James is the right man to drive this club forward and into a new era.

“We have been working extremely hard to ensure we have the right man for the job and are confident James can achieve great things here, both in the short term and in the long term.”

Lowes will begin coaching the Bulls' first team tomorrow morning (Wednesday), before leading them into battle against former his employers Warrington on Sunday afternoon.

The one-time Yorkshire captain has previously worked as an assistant coach for England, Bradford, Salford, Leeds and Warrington, where he acted as head coach for a period during 2008.

Following a return to the Rhinos in 2011, as assistant to current boss Brian McDermott, Lowes took up the position of head coach with Leeds Carnegie.

Chief executive Robbie Hunter-Paul added: “James fully understands the importance of nurturing stars of the future, he recognises the need for talent to filter through from the bottom up.

“In the short term, James is aiming to get the very best out of the squad and will begin work with our players right away.

“Going forward, he is committed to piecing together and developing a full performance department solution, while aiming to return this fantastic club to its former glories.”