With four days to go before Hull KR take on Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup Final, here is the lowdown on all the early team news ahead of the Wembley showpiece.
The two face off for the second time in two weeks, with Hull KR earning a hefty 62-4 win over the Warriors in Super League Round 12.
However, with one eye on this game, Wigan opted to majorly rotate their squad, resting their first team players so that they can be fully fit for the Final.
Hull KR opted to go a different route, and stuck with their first-team squad, though that may have come back to bite them with some players picking up knocks in the game that could see them miss Wembley.
The 21-man squads won’t be released until Thursday, when we will get more of an indication then as to who could potentially feature, but for now we’ve taken a look at who certainly won’t be playing this week, and who is in doubt of making the 17’s.
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Hull KR v Wigan Warriors ‘outs and doubts’ ahead of Challenge Cup Final
Hull KR:
Starting with the Robins, one man who we know won’t feature is full-back Arthur Mourgue. After returning against Leigh a fortnight ago, he suffered a recurrence of the pectoral injury that kept him out for 12 weeks, and as a result he is looking at a similar timeframe on the sidelines.
Thankfully for KR, Mourgue is the only player to be confirmed out at this stage, meaning they have pretty much their best possible squad to choose from this week.
Joe Burgess and James Batchelor will return to contention this week after their respective rests – though Batchelor would have been available for the past two games had he not been stood down by the RFL due to concussion.
In terms of doubts, Tyrone May missed the win over Wigan with a shoulder problem, and it would be a huge blow for the Robins if he were to miss this game given how important and how clinical he is in that Robins attack.
Versatile forward Karl Lawton played for just 20 minutes against the Warriors before coming off with a rib issue, whilst Dean Hadley didn’t complete the game after succumbing to a hamstring concern late on.
Jai Whitbread had a groin issue, so there are some big concerns particularly in the Robins’ forward pack as to whether they will be able to field their full-strength side on Saturday.
Wigan Warriors:
After going extra cautious last week against the Robins, it may have cost them two league points but it meant that every player came through unscathed, and that means there is no fresh concerns heading into Wembley.
However, long-term absentees Liam Marshall and Dayon Sambou will definitely miss the Final, with the pair mid-way through recovering from long-term knee injuries.
Skipper Liam Farrell has missed the last two games with a calf issue, but Matt Peet has said previously that he will be back fit in time for the Challenge Cup Final. so he is placed in the doubt category.
Then there’s Bevan French. Arguably the best player in the league on his day, French tore his hamstring in the win over Toulouse back in March, and was said to be out for a period of ‘around 16 weeks.’
Since then, only around 12 weeks have passed, suggesting he will be nowhere near ready to return this weekend.
However, there are murmurs across the Wigan fanbase that he could return earlier than expected, and what a sensational boost it would be to have him available this week.
Therefore, he is placed in the ‘doubts’ category at this stage as opposed to being ‘ruled out’.
