Leon Pryce, the 26-year-old Great Britain stand-off, who had been linked with a possible switch of codes, signed a four-year contract extension yesterday at St Helens, who also reappointed Paul Sculthorpe as captain for the forthcoming season.

Sculthorpe, 30, the former Great Britain captain, who retired at international level in July with a view to prolonging his club career, hinted at a surprise return for England in the World Cup in Australia in the autumn. “If I played at that level, I would have to be fully fit and at my best,” Sculthorpe, who has been plagued by knee and ankle problems for three seasons and will make another comeback in his testimonial match at Knowsley Road on Saturday week, said.

Pryce’s decision to remain at St Helens until the end of the 2011 season finally ended speculation about a move to rugby union and follows the return to league by his younger brother, Karl, who has joined Wigan Warriors from Gloucester.

Eamonn McManus, the St Helens chairman, said: “We have now signed up James Roby, Jon Wilkin, James Graham, Paul Wellens and Leon as we continue to invest in the future of the club. Not only will these players form the backbone of the side in years to come, but also the core of the Great Britain team.”

Having shunned the trend for warm-weather pre-season training, the St Helens squad is encamped in Cardiff for four days. “We have no new players this time, so I didn’t see the necessity to go abroad for team-bonding,” Daniel Anderson, who enters his final season as the club’s coach, said.

It has emerged that Tame Tupou, the Bradford Bulls and New Zealand wing, was ordered home from the Kiwis’ camp after a drunken escapade on the eve of last November’s international against France in Paris. Tupou’s international future is in doubt after an alleged incident involving hotel staff.

Tupou, 25, was signed by Bradford from Brisbane Broncos last summer to replace Lesley Vainikolo. “I can only say so much and apologise for what happened,” Tupou said. “I have to go out and play to my best if I’m going to play for the Kiwis again.”