Round-up: Wigan prop faces possible prison sentence
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Your support makes all the difference.Wigan’s international prop, Iafeta Paleaaesina, will start the Super League season with a court case and a possible prison sentence hanging over him.
Paleaaesina, who has played for New Zealand and Samoa, pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man in Wigan last October.
The player, who is alleged to have broken the off-duty bus driver’s jaw with a punch, will appear again on 28 April.
Hull’s close-season signing from Australia, Adam Dykes, is the latest to be added to their long injury list for their opening fixture at Warrington on Friday.
The stand-off damaged a thigh muscle in training and joins Lee Radford, Richard Whiting, Gareth Raynor, Richard Horne and Kirk Yeaman in being definitely ruled out.
In addition, Shaun Berrigan, Ewan Dowes, Matt Sing and Motu Tony are all regarded as doubtful for the game.
Tony, who has played 18 times for New Zealand, has opted to represent Samoa, the country of his birth in this autumn’s World Cup.
Tony, who has played full-back and hooker in Tests, joins a number of other Kiwi caps in declaring for the island. “I am a Samoan first,” he said.
he Irish coach, Andy Kelly, has put out a call for players with parental and grand-parental qualifications to make themselves available to play for Ireland in the World Cup.
Kelly plans to name a 40-man preliminary squad and is keen to draft in players who did not appear in their qualifying campaign.
Ince Rose Bridge are likely to be confirmed as winners of the Carnegie Challenge Cup tie against Hunslet Old Boys which they were leading 28-6 when it was abandoned after an hour.
Four Hunslet players were sent off and the referee allegedly attacked by a spectator.
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