THE Huddersfield Giants are not in the running to sign England second-rower Gareth Ellis.

Reports at the end of last week suggested Huddersfield were one of the favourites to land the former Leeds and Wakefield star after he announced he would be leaving Australian NRL club Wests Tigers at the end of this season.

It’s understood all 14 Super League clubs had expressed an interest in securing his signature.

But the vast majority haven’t been given permission to speak to him, including the Giants, which has added to the speculation Ellis has already signed a deal with either Super League champions Leeds or Hull.

It is not known how strongly the Giants were chasing Ellis anyway, with the club already boasting some quality back-row forwards.

That’s obviously led by former Australia Test ace Luke O’Donnell and ex-Kiwi international David Fa’alogo, while the likes of Jason Chan and Michael Lawrence have been doing an excellent job in the role so far this season.