Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown charged over referee remarks

The Rugby League has confirmed that the Huddersfield coach, Nathan Brown, has been charged over remarks made after their defeat of Leeds last month.

Brown told a press conference that he would encourage his players to take the law into their own hands if the Giants key playmakers were not better protected by referees.

He has until next Thursday to decide whether to contest the charge, but his club is already furious that he has been charged almost three weeks after the event – and after complaints over the RFL’s apparent inaction from the Leeds chief executive, Gary Hetherington.

The League says that the delay was caused by a similar case involving the Hull coach, Richard Agar, who was eventually fined a record £6000, half of it suspended.

On top of the long-term absence of a series of players, St Helens picked up further injuries in their Challenge Cup tie against Sheffield Eagles, with Kyle Eastmond, Andrew Dixon and Nathan Ashe all side-lined.

Ben Harrison, the Warrington forward, is missing the England training camp at Loughborough after damaging ankle ligaments in the Challenge Cup victory over Keighley.

Harrison has been cleared of the fracture that was initially suspected, but still faces several weeks out.

Wigan’s Joel Tomkins also missed the get-together after taking a kick to the calf in the win over Barrow.

Other players with long-term injuries, like Leon Pryce and Ben Jones-Bishop, were involved in the two-day camp.

Leeds are waiting to hear how badly Danny McGuire tore his quad muscle in the tie against Crusaders at the weekend. McGuire limped off early in the first half of only his third game back in action after major knee surgery.

Leeds’ veteran Australian hooker, Danny Buderus, is being linked with a possible return to his NRL club, the Newcastle Knights, for a swan-song season.

Wigan are expected to announce their next coach this week. Michael Maguire is returning to Australia to coach South Sydney at the end of this season, with his assistant, Shaun Wane, the favourite to take over, although Brown’s name has also been mentioned.