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

glad i'm not Matty Peet if and when they are all fully fit

80 minutes intensity from our front row with impact of Mago to add to it

Unbelievable the position we're in compared to just a couple of seasons ago, it's almost inevitable that the lads in the team at the moment will pick up a ban or an injury and having the above ready to step up in the next couple of weeks is amazing.

2-3 years ago I'd have killed for a four prop rotation of the current versions of Havard and Byrne and a couple of extremely promising lads like Walters (I know he'll play second row) and Eseh. Amazing to think they're just the guys unavailable currently.

If you think about it 2 years ago we didnt have,Walters,Cooper,Eseh,Dupree, etc and a younger Byrne,Havard and yet we still won the CC,how good is that as we are stronger now than then.

And Isa?

Its worse than that

there is also the crop of Reserve/Academy props - Makin, Wilson, McDermott, Kelly-Duffy and Kelly-Duffy progressing very nicely.

No slight on Hampshire but God help us if Bevan gets hurt. Combinations in attack are awful so now the experiment for that half has been done, stick him at 6, Hampshire at 1 and put Cas to bed.

*A nice telling off at half time seems to have been sufficient

Looks like right side second row will be light for the next few weeks if Nsemba picks up a ban.

A job done night. Fair play to Cas, they showed some pride from minute one after that horror show last week.

I thought French was clear as our man of the match, with Dupree and Mago excelling as well. Some good efforts from the bench also from Cooper and Hill.

That's my take, pretty much. I'm really liking Dupree; he doesn't seem *that* big, but boy, is he strong! And, like Mago, he can play a bit too. Hill gets better every week, and although Hampshire wasn't great, it did no harm to give Bevan another run at f-b and give Jai a break. Onwards and upwards.

Why would he? I saw nothing wrong with that tackle.