St Helens have suffered a double injury blow, with stand-off Travis Burns being found to have suffered a triple fracture of the cheekbone in the opening minutes of last Friday night’s clash against Hull KR at the KC Lighstream Stadium.
Hull KR prop forward James Green has been suspended for one match for the challenge, although he remained on the field during the match, helping the Robins to a two-point victory.
Burns is likely to be out for several weeks, and he joins fellow Australian halfback Luke Walsh on the sidelines.
St Helens forward Atelea Vea also suffered a shoulder injury at Hull KR.
He will have tests this week to determine the extent of the injury, but he too could be out for several months.
Meanwhile fullback Jonny Lomax, who injured his knee at Wakefield in the round 4 fixture on 6 March, will undergo surgery to assess the extent of the problem, and the worst-case scenario is a possible nine-month absence.
James Roby, Paul Wellens and Joe Greenwood will all have late fitness tests this week to determine whether they can play at Wigan. Roby suffered concussion in the Hull KR clash, while Greenwood injured his arm against Warrington.
“It’s not ideal going into such a big game without Luke Walsh, Travis Burns, Jonny Lomax, Mark Percival and Atelea Vea, and with doubts over Roby, Greenwood and Wellens. It’s not just the number of injuries but the class of the players who are missing in key positions,” said Saints coach Keiron Cunningham.
“But this group of players has proven that they know how to deal with adversity, even on the biggest of occasions.”
