Agree. It's difficult to make these calls week-by week when you're actively choosing to not put your best team out. But I think it's very unlikely that we'll be as fortunate with injuries in the backs as we were for the second half of last year. So it's not just a case of giving the first teamers the break they need, it's also giving Hampshire, and certainly Eckersley and Douglas game time so we don't need to throw them into a potentially season-defining game without them having played ay first team rugby.


I actually thought last week might've been the best opportunity for that even in a knockout game, but personally I'd be making at least one or two changes.

Horrible fixture written all over it, must be extremely difficult to get the players motivated for this.
Without making wholesale changes I think we should give a few squad players a game for the enthusiasm they'll bring to playing first team football and hope we come through without any injuries/disciplinary issues.

Thank you, I hadn't seen/heard that.

Cas squad https://castlefordtigers.com/article.php?id=8942

Cas squad https://castlefordtigers.com/article.php?id=8942

Wigan squad https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... leford-r8/

Wigan squad https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/ ... leford-r8/

I’m sure cooper will slot in maybe start with Thompson. Imagine give Mago a rest and have Dupree and hill off the bench. It’s been said plenty of times before but that forward line is something else

He's given a further update today in his press conference. The tests are some in house tests they do and they're just not at the levels they were before he did the injury, so they've decided to give him a couple of extra weeks. He's in full training and they have now pencilled in the Catalans home game, two weeks tomorrow for his return.

I wonder, with Nesemba moving into the starting sport, if we'll go with 3 props + Leeming on the bench? Cooper, Hill and Mago perhaps?

Thank you once again.

If we're going 3 props, maybe Chan instead of one of those to give an option in the back row?

Thats good news. Heard the word 'setback" during the week and feared the worst.

Cooper will start on the bench according to Peet

Said would do mind either side of HT so imagine stand in for Mago

Probably start with Thompson, O'Neil and Dupree in the front row with Mago, Leeming and Cooper off the bench.
With Farrell and Nsemba second row and Ellis at loose. Who the fourth bench place will go to we don't know but Hill or Chan favourites.

It's a shame really we only have Havard, Byrne, Eseh, Walters to come back in to the reckoning