Campese to be rested for Catalans trip

Jamie Peacock has revealed that Terry Campese will be rested for Saturday’s trip to the south of France to face the Catalans Dragons.

Hull Kingston Rovers’ head of rugby has spoken out about the club’s game at the Stade Gilbert Brutus and their plans for the weekend following on from their 28-16 defeat to Hull FC at Magic Weekend.

Peacock gets around to speaking about half back Terry Campese, and the reasons behind resting the influential playmaker, as well as an explanation to their travel plans in Perpignan this weekend.

“We’ve taken the decision to charter a plane to Perpignan for a couple of reasons, mainly because it appears to be the best way of preparing for the game rather than spending three of four days out of the country as the club has done in previous years,” Peacock said.

“We’re also conscious that the team have two short turnarounds either side of this fixture and it’s important that we give the players maximum time to recover, particularly after the notoriously tough Hull derby.

“Playing the last game at Magic Weekend has made the travel arrangements that bit more difficult, but we’re confident the approach we are taking gives us the best possible chance of going to Perpignan and coming back with the two Super League points.

“However, we are aware that the situation is not ideal, especially for somebody with Terry’s circumstances who’s just played 80 minutes for the first time in 12 months.

“To his credit, Terry put his hand up and pushed himself as hard as possible to return a week ahead of schedule and play in the derby in Newcastle. His influence on the side and his leadership qualities were clear to see and he has come through the match and returned to training this week without any problems.

“It’s important now that we manage his workload and keep him healthy for the rest of the season. He does a really good job in looking after himself away from the field but we feel the risk outweighs the potential benefit of him playing this week and he therefore won’t play against Catalans.

He’s understandably disappointed about that and desperate to play, but he will return to the side against Wakefield and be available for selection for the rest of the season.”