Hull KR set to face Wigan despite Covid disruption

LONDON: Hull KR are the latest Super League club to become affected by the spike in Covid-19 cases, although their match against Wigan on Friday will go ahead.

Rovers coach Tony Smith says one of his players has returned a positive test and at least three others are being forced to self-isolate through the track and trace process.

“We’ve had one positive and four in total affected by it,” Smith said at his weekly press conference.

“So it’s had an effect on us, just like it has on just about every other team. As we said a few weeks ago, once it’s in society, it just flies around.

So far we haven’t been badly affected but it has had some impact.”

Smith says half-back Rowan Milnes, who has been left out of his 21-man squad for the game against the Warriors, is the only player affected who played in last week’s win over Salford.

Leeds and Huddersfield have been hit hardest by the latest spike in Covid cases – the Rhinos’ fixtures against St Helens last week and Catalans Dragons this week have been postponed, while the Giants are set to resume their campaign against Salford on Friday – and Smith warns the worst may not be over yet.

Huddersfield coach Ian Watson, whose team’s fixture with Wigan last week was a victim of the pandemic, has named just 17 players in his squad for the visit of his old Salford team to the John Smith’s Stadium, although he hopes to be able to add more before kick-off.