Team news: Halifax v Leigh (Sun)

James Gordon

Leigh have the same quartet of players from St Helens available for their trip to Halifax on Sunday.

Prop Luke Douglas plays the second game of his loan spell, and is joined by man of the match from the win over Toulouse, Jack Ashworth, and team-mates Matty Costello and Aaron Smith.

Nick Gregson and Mitch Cox come into John Duffy’s 19-man squad after their encouraging victory in round one.

He said: “Halifax away is always one of the biggest tests of the Championship season and we are looking forward to the challenge.

“Though Halifax lost at Widnes last week the score-line doesn’t reflect their contribution to the game. They are a well-coached side and the core have been together some time. They’ve added quality to their squad again this year.

“We expect Halifax to throw a lot more at us than Toulouse did and so having the same four Saints lads is massive for us.

“They have all bought into to what we are trying to achieve here and their contributions in training and in last week’s match were there for all to see.”

Halifax have lost four of their last five meetings with Leigh, though did win this fixture last season, 38-18.

Reece Chapman-Smith is brought in to Richard Marshall’s 19-man squad, but Ben Johnston, Shane Grady, Chester Butler and Connor Davies are all still absent through injury.

Halifax 19-man squad: Barber, Calcott, Chapman-Smith, Cooper, Fairbank, Fleming, Grix, Kavanagh, Kaye, Larroyer, Laulu-Togaga’e, Moore, Morris, Murrell, Robinson, Saltonstall, Sharp, Tyrer, White.

Leigh 19-man squad: McNally, Pownall, Thornley, Marsh, Ridyard, Woods, Spencer, Higham, Brooks, T Adamson, Thornley, L Adamson, Cator, Gregson, Cox, Douglas, Costello, Ashworth, Smith.