Huddersfield v Catalans: Predicted line-ups and late injury news

The league leaders are back in West Yorkshire this week having beaten Castleford last Thursday. A week on from that triumph the French pace setters take on a Huddersfield side surprisingly struggling after many tipped them for success in 2021.

The Giants’ recent plight has been exacerbated by injury. The Giants lost winger Darnell McIntosh to an achilles problem last week whilst Matty English also drops out of the side through injury. Joining him in the treatment room is talisman Aidan Sezer and fellow halfback Lee Gaskell. That means Will Pryce, son of the great Leon Pryce, could start in the halves. The Giants will also be without hookers James Cunningham and Adam O’Brien. That means Ashton Goulding will again be named at hooker. The absence of McIntosh of course means there’s an opening on the flank. Ian Watson could go with natural winger Louis Senior or the versatile Sam Wood on the wing.

Like Huddersfield, Catalans have no available hookers so it’s likely that another fullback – this time Arthur Mourgue – will start at nine. However, there are also doubts over his fitness. Fortunately for Catalans their three form players return to the side this week. Tom Davies and Sam Tomkins are back after their England exploits whilst captain Ben Garcia also returns.

Huddersfield
31 Olly Ashall-Bott
2 Jermaine McGillvary
3 Jake Wardle
4 Ricky Leutele
24 Louis Senior
6 Lee Gaskell
23 Oliver Russell
8 Luke Yates
1 Ashton Goulding
22 James Gavet
11 Kenny Edwards
13 Josh Jones
15 Joe Greenwood
Substitutes
17 Chris McQueen
18 Jack Ashworth
25 Owen Trout
27 Sam Wood

Catalans
29 Sam Tomkins
2 Tom Davies
4 Dean Whare
3 Samisoni Langi
5 Fouad Yaha
6 James Maloney
7 Josh Drinkwater
8 Gil Dudson
1 Arthur Mourgue
10 Julian Bousquet
15 Benjamin Jullien
12 Mike McMeeken
13 Ben Garcia
Substitutes
11 Matt Whitley
17 Mickael Goudemand
24 Jason Baitieri
28 Sam Kasiano