Form teams clash in Cumbria

Workington pair Matthew Tunstall and Marc Jackson are both ruled out, while Jason Mossop (groin) is also struggling.

There is further bad news on Marc Shackley, who faces six weeks on the sidelines following a knee operation.

However, joint Workington coach Gary Charlton insists his side’s only focus is on getting three points out a clash with a rapidly improving Skolars side.

Charlton said: “We’ve played them once this year and it was a very close game. It was only in the back end of the match that we put some points on them.

“Since then they’ve really picked up their form and got some good results, but we’re confident, particularly being at home, that we can do well if we produce the kind of performance we want.”

Workington are only three points behind second-placed Keighley in the Co-operative Championship One table, but Charlton believes the league table is still a minor distraction.

He said: “We don’t look at the table just yet. We might do when there are only a couple of games left, but there have been that many ups and downs for every team this year that it’s pointless at this stage.

“We’ll just focus on what’s directly ahead of us, and that’s London this week.”

John Paxton and Michael Sykes could return to the London squad after completing their victorious tour of Australia with the Great Britain Students team.

Skolars director of rugby Mark Croston said: “Workington are certainly one of the form teams, and so are we, so it should be another close encounter with our Cumbrian friends.”