The latest on Hull’s loan players, Ligi Sao, and two potential returns next week.
08:00, 25 Apr 2026Updated 08:01, 25 Apr 2026
Harry Newman and Jeremiah Mata’utia impressed for Hull FC.(Image: Dave Lofthouse, Hull FC)
Hull FC interim head coach Andy Last is hoping to have both Leeds Rhinos loan players Harry Newman and Jeremiah Mata’utia are available to face Toulouse Olympique next week.
The Black and Whites go up against the French side at the MKM Stadium next Sunday afternoon, with Last hoping to build on Friday’s perfect start against Castleford Tigers on Friday night: a 50-10 victory.
Last has confirmed a decision will be made early next week, with Leeds weighing up their side after their 46-4 win over Catalans. And if all fits the Rhinos again, then the hope and expectation are that both players will feature for Hull once again.
“We’ll have a chat with the officials at Leeds in the early part of the week,” Last, speaking post-match, confirmed. “They will look at their squad health and then we’ll take it from there.
“It would be great if we could have them both again. They’ve fitted in really well. Harry played exceptionally well here. He made some good breaks and defensively he was strong. He’s enjoying his time here.
“He’s been at Leeds his whole career so the change of scenery sometimes can be a good thing. It can freshen you up and I think it’s certainly freshened Harry up.”
Commenting on Mata’utia, who made his Hull debut at Castleford, Last continued: “He did well – he’s got a strong ball carry.
“There’s probably a bit of work to do defensively on him in terms of his movement stuff but he’s certainly a big body and that big body was something we lacked against St Helens last week, coming off the bench.
“With the likes of Yusuf (Aydin) and Brad (Fash), it’s a nice mix of different strengths. Brad is a very good wrestler and a good defensive player. I think they complement each other.”
Elsewhere, Last confirmed that Ligi Sao will miss the Toulouse game due to mandatory rules surrounding a head injury, with the player now set for an 11-day return-to-play check.
“He’s okay,“ Last said of the prop, who left the field after ten minutes following a high hit from George Lawler. “The doctor said it was a category one, which means he showed a symptom in his movement that meant they had to take him off.
“It’s an 11-day (return-to-play) so Ligi won’t play next week. We’ve definitely lost one. Hopefully, they won’t be anybody else. It’d be nice to put the same team out against Toulouse and get some continuity into our selections.”
Confirming there are no injury scares for Aidan Sezer and Jake Arthur, Last, who took both players off in the second half, said: “There are no worries on Jake or Aidan. Those were just my decisions as a coach. There are no issues with them both.”
As for returns from injury, Hull could welcome back Matty Laidlaw (leg) and Joe Batchelor (back) into the side next week so long as they get through training unscathed.
“Joe will train next week with a view to being available for selection,” Last said. “Matty failed a fitness test on Thursday.
“We’ll assess him in the early part of the week. I’d like to hope that both of those guys will come into consideration for selection.“