Championship Preview: Whitehaven v Sheffield Eagles

Whitehaven coach Dave Woods has been dealt a triple injury blow ahead of Sunday’s Kingstone Press Championship showdown with Sheffield Eagles.

Cain Southernwood (thumb), Carl Forster (dislocated finger) and Paul Jackson (elbow) are all ruled out of the clash with Mark Aston’s Eagles, forcing Woods into a major reshuffle.

And Woods is demanding a major improvement on last week’s display, when Featherstone Rovers emerged 50-14 winners over the Cumbrians.

Woods said: “We had a few opportunities but it (the score) was probably a fair reflection. We weren’t great.

“We should get a response this week, but Sheffield are coming on the back of a 50 point loss as well, so we know it’s going to be tough.

“They’re going to turn up wanting to make amends, and that’s the beauty of playing every week. We’re sure they’ll be looking to bounce back as soon as possible, but we’ve got to do everything we can to make sure it isn’t this week.”

Sheffield coach Mark Aston could have trialist Theo Gonzalez-Trique available as he urges a collective approach amongst his squad following last week’s 54-12 defeat against Leigh.

Aston said: “You need to do things together and we’re not – people are doing what they want to do and that’s when things come crashing.”