Barba is back to shoulder the load
BEN BARBA has given St Helens a massive boost after it was confirmed he will return to action in Saturday’s Challenge Cup showdown at Castleford.
The Australian full-back has enjoyed a stellar campaign but missed last week’s home win over Catalans with a shoulder injury.
Fears were raised that Barba could be out for several months but coach Justin Holbrook has confirmed he will feature against the Tigers in the sixth-round tie.
Holbrook said: “Benny is fine and it’s good to report that everyone else came through the Catalans game with no problems.
“Castleford are a dangerous side and although we had a good result against them earlier in the season, that was a long time ago and it will be a tough game.”
Saints lead the Super League table and have won many admirers for their free-flowing style this season, with Barba topping the competition’s tryscoring charts with 15.
Holbrook added: “We’re playing well but, as staff and players, we’re all trying to get better. There’s no need to address complacency; the players set high standards and it is up to us as staff to help them. It’s a pleasure to watch the boys play at the moment and we can take confidence from the year, but the reality is we have to do it again and are ready to do that. We want to do well in the Challenge Cup and this is our first test.”
Featherstone will draw on their giant-killing history when they take on holders Hull in the opening sixth-round tie at the LD Nutrition Stadium tonight.
This month marks the 35th anniversary of Featherstone’s famous upset win over the Black and Whites at Wembley in 1983 while more recently, under Daryl Powell, they knocked out Castleford courtesy of a 23-16 fourth-round victory in 2012.
Coach John Duffy, who guided Swinton to a 28-24 victory at Huddersfield in last season’s fifth round, said: “It’s that bit sweeter when you get a win over a Super League club.
“It’s a massive ask. We’ve just got to make sure we start well and that we’re consistent and complete well because you will always get punished by Super League opposition if you’re not doing the basics right.
“We’re underdogs and we’ve not been underdogs many times this season, so we’ll play with a bit of pressure off and enjoy it.” REPORTS ONE OF the great cross-border club rivalries heads for new territory tomorrow night when Gloucester take on Cardiff Blues for the Challenge Cup in Spain’s Basque Country.
The 53,000-capacity San Mames Stadium, the gleaming home to Athletic Bilbao, is the unusual setting chosen to stage both the second-tier final and Saturday’s Champions Cup final.
If the theory of the organisers in spreading the rugby gospel is laudable, the reality has been inflated accommodation prices and travel difficulties for supporters.
“The Challenge Cup has suffered a bit in the past from being played at the Stoop while the main event has been at Twickenham, so it is a good idea to have both finals at the same venue,” said Gloucester captain Ed Slater.
“But speaking to friends and family who have been trying to get to the game, it hasn’t been the easiest in terms of both cost and logistics.
“I don’t know the thinking behind it but I do know it is a pretty impressive stadium and that is going to be exciting. As a rugby player, you want to play at the best venues.”
The odyssey for Gloucester started yesterday. The Cherry and Whites, beaten in last year’s final by Stade Francais in Edinburgh, have become Challenge Cup specialists with this their third appearance in the last four finals.
With Champions Cup rugby assured for next season, it offers coach Johan Ackermann the chance of a tangible reward at the conclusion of an up-and-down first campaign at Kingsholm.
“I couldn’t say we have put out a full 80 minutes we have been happy with this season – not even 75 or 70,” said Slater.
“You have to remember that the players who have been here a few years are just as new to Johan and his game plan as I am. It isn’t just me who is trying to adapt – a lot of the squad are as well.
“When it works, we can play some really top stuff but we haven’t been the smartest in the way