Leeds left to rue Peacock's injury

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Jamie Peacock is out of Leeds' Challenge Cup final side and this autumn's Four Nations. The England captain injured a knee at Castleford on Friday night and a scan has shown that he needs a ligament reconstruction.

"I'm stunned to be out of action for six to eight months," Peacock said. "The injury didn't feel any worse than previous knocks, but the scans revealed the worst possible news."

Peacock is the second Leeds prop to be ruled out this week, following Luke Burgess' broken jaw. Ali Lauitiiti will be clear to play in the final, however, after being cleared of a suspected high tackle, for which he was placed on report at Castleford.

Wembley is heading for a sell-out for the final against Warrington, with less than 1000 tickets remaining.

Brian Noble, the coach of Crusaders, faces an RFL investigation over his touchline outburst in the defeat at Hull. Noble reacted furiously when a penalty after the final hooter gave Hull an 18-16 victory, allegedly confronting the referee, James Child, and having to be restrained. The League is looking into the matter. "I confess to being absolutely seething," Noble said.