Leigh Leopards coach issues Edwin Ipape injury prognosis following Hull KR defeat

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has confirmed that star man Edwin Ipape will return for next week’s crunch clash against St Helens having missed Friday night’s defeat at home against Hull KR.

Hooker Ipape was absent as Leigh beat Castleford 34-12 at The Jungle in Round 25 due to a rotator cuff issue, and in the build-up to the Leopards’ Round 26 clash with KR, boss Lam described his chances of playing as ’50/50′.

When the teamsheets were announced ahead of the clash with the Robins, 25-year-old Ipape wasn’t named in Leigh’s 18.

He’s now missed 10 of their 26 Super League games this term, with the vast majority of those absences owing to various injury problems suffered throughout the campaign.

The Papua New Guinean ace took a watching brief as his team-mates were beaten 24-0 by KR, losing on home soil for the first time since April 4 and being kept scoreless for just the second time in Lam’s near-three-season tenure.

Leigh Leopards coach issues Edwin Ipape injury prognosis following Hull KR defeat

Friday night’s defeat – just their second in the last 11 games – leaves Leigh likely needing to win against Saints next Friday night at the Leopards’ Den to cement their play-off spot.

That depends on results elsewhere, but if Lam’s side are beaten by the Red V in the final game of the regular season, the chances are they will miss out on the top six entirely.

Following the loss against KR though, Lam was able to deliver positive news in the shape of his update on Ipape, who he says will ‘definitely’ be back in action in seven days time.

The 54-year-old confirmed: “It looks like we’re okay (injury-wise) after tonight.

“Edwin will play next week. If it was a final, he would’ve played tonight, but balancing things up, we made a decision that it was either this week or next week.

“He’s definitely going to be in there next week.”