Below is a round-up of all the latest news from the world of rugby league over the last 24 hours.
Super League stars set for scans as attendances remain strong
With another round of Super League games in the books there’s sadly been another spate of injuries, including two teams suffering double blows. The snow has threatened whether fixtures would go ahead however all Super League matches did go ahead, and fans turned up in good numbers and good voice.
Seven charged by MRP
Following the widespread bans and charges from the round three fixtures there has been just seven players charged this week. One player has avoided punishment due to unclear footage, whilst another has been charged despite his actions going unpunished during the game.
Who replaces Tomkins?
Sam Tomkins announced his retirement on Friday night and confirmed he will hang up the boots at the end of the season. At Catalans he isn’t skipper and there’s a ready-made replacement in the shape of Arthur Mourgue, but who will fill his captaincy role at England? Also there will be questions about who assumes the role of full-back as well.
Championship club suspend memberships
In the fallout of Featherstone Rovers shock Challenge Cup departure to Halifax Panthers, a side they’d beaten handily only a month ago, the club sought to take action against a group of fans. They’ve since identified those fans and revoked their memberships whilst releasing a statement.
Applegarth hammers “dumb rugby”
Wakefield fell to a fourth defeat on Friday and more worryingly a third game without getting on the scoresheet. Understandably head coach Mark Applegarth was critical and he’s bemoaned the “dumb rugby” his side played, however it wasn’t all negative as he made a rallying and a passionate plea in the post-match.
Challenge Cup Round-Up
The third round of the Challenge Cup was played over this weekend amidst the terrible weather and it’s provided some shock results, the highlights of which saw Featherstone Rovers lose their undefeated streak. Sean Long has tried to explain the shock defeat, even referring back to the below par performance against Bradford on Monday as being a potential cause.
New position looming for Leeds star
Rohan Smith was incredibly experimental with some of his line-ups in pre-season but due to injury his hand has been forced during the first four rounds to mix it up. One experiment revolved around replacing injured hooker Kruise Leeming and Smith has hinted that one of Rhinos’ young guns could fill that role.
Eddie & Stevo suggest where next for Lee Radford
The iconic duo of Eddie and Stevo have offered up their thoughts on the Lee Radford situation and Stevo has claimed the former Tigers boss wanted out “as fast as possible”. They also discussed where next with a hint that he will reunite with a former teammate down under.
Hastings gets heated
Departing CEO reveals ‘weak finances’
Michael Carter has served as CEO at Wakefield Trinity for a decade however he will be stepping down prior to the end of 2023 it’s been revealed. In his note of resignation he’s detailed some key reasons why he’s leaving the role, not least the fact that Trinity have “some of the weakest finances and crowd levels” in Super League. Within that statement he’s also highlighted experiences that had brought this resignation on including one particularly “bitter” incident.
Featherstone slam IMG criteria, plus who will benefit?
Featherstone Rovers chairman Mark Campbell has been making a stir with some statements recently but his latest opinions come around the IMG proposals that were announced on Thursday. Whilst Campbell isn’t happy, we’ve looked at five clubs who could be very happy as we’ve broken down who will benefit the most.
How social media reacted to Hull’s humiliation
Hull FC hosted Salford Red Devils on Saturday in the first example of a Super League game being streamed on the Our League app. It was a brilliant showing of rugby league from Salford as well, but many fans took to social media to criticise Hull given their humiliating 60-14 home loss.
