St Helens sweat on fitness of duo ahead Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan Warriors

Saints will wait until the last minute to make a decision on the injured pair.
Kristian Woolf, head coach of St HelensKristian Woolf, head coach of St Helens
Kristian Woolf, head coach of St Helens

Head coach Kristian Woolf has not yet ruled out both Jonny Lomax and Regan Grace from his matchday 17 for Saturday’s Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final blockbuster against the Wigan Warriors at Elland Road, Leeds.

The Influential half back left the field in the 27th minute of Friday’s 14-10 home win over Salford Red Devils suffering from a bicep injury while the Welsh winger has been sidelined for a large slice of the season due to a hamstring problem.

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But Woolf has confirmed that Will Hopoate, who played through the pain barrier against the Mancunians, will definitely be no more than a spectator against the Warriors.

The Aussie told Saintsrlfc.com: “Jonny is coming along really well. We will figure how he is as the week goes on.

“He is the most disciplined person I have ever come across and will give himself the best possible chance to feature.

“We will wait and see and name our squad later in the week. If he plays, he will be 100% and will have an impact on the game.”

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On Hopoate, Woolf said: “Will unfortunately won’t be involved. He hurt is hamstring again and it is a recurring one. He hurt it early on, but I think it is important I tell you what he did for us last weekend. When Jonny went off, we needed someone to hang out there for us and play tough.

‘’He played on one leg for us and couldn’t do what he wanted to do and he didn’t have the impact he wanted to have, but he was so tough and used his experience to get through it and we had no tries conceded on that side. I was really proud of his effort,” he continued.

“He has had really bad luck so far in his Saints’ career. He broke his ribs early and now his hamstring injuries.

‘’It is certainly not his fault. He has come over here fit and had a big pre season so he has just been unlucky – something he has not had over the last few years in the NRL.

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“I know he is going to get back for us as soon as possible. We won’t make the same mistake and we will give him all the time he needs and he will have an impact for us at the end of the year.”

The boss also admitted Grace had a chance to feature on Saturday, too.

“Regan is a bit like Jonny. We will see how he progresses over the next few days and we will name a squad on Thursday.”