Saints lose Martyn with broken arm

St Helens and Bradford have lost key players for two months as the new season gets into full swing.

Saints will be without their stand-off, Tommy Martyn, following the revelation that he broke his arm in the Challenge Cup victory over Batley last Friday. "He's trained extremely hard in the off-season and we were very excited with his form heading into the new campaign," said Saints' coach, Ian Millward.

The Bulls have had equally bad news about their Great Britain second-rower, Jamie Peacock, who broke a hand, also in the Cup, against Hunslet. "He is one of the cornerstones of our pack and to lose him at this stage of the season is a bad blow," said Bradford's football secretary, Stuart Duffy.

London's new Australian forward, Bill Peden, will also be out for up to eight weeks with a broken hand, while Leeds will be without Danny Ward and Chris McKenna for up to a month with a compound fracture to a finger and a torn pectoral muscle respectively.

Swinton have switched their Challenge Cup quarter-final against Wigan to the JJB Stadium after being told by the Rugby League that their 2,500-capacity Moor Lane ground could not stage the game. "I would have fancied it on our own ground, because it would have given us a chance to be more competitive and to build on our fan base at what is still a new ground for us," said the Lions' coach, Peter Roe.

"If our performance against Featherstone in the last round doesn't bring the fans back, nothing will. It's a shame from that point of view that we can't play at home, but going to Wigan will bring in money that is much needed."

Roe has six players injured after the fifth-round victory and does not want to risk any of them against Whitehaven in the Arriva Trains Cup this weekend. "I don't want to play anyone who's only 50 per cent fit, because I don't want to get hammered at Wigan," he said. "If we take a full-strength side there, I don't think we will be."

The BBC's two televised ties are Widnes versus Bradford on Saturday 15 March and Hull's visit to Leeds the following day.

Huddersfield have signed the Bradford centre or winger, Alex Wilkinson, on loan to help cover the gaps left in their ranks by injury and suspension.

Oxford will go into the Varsity Match at Richmond tonight without their captain, Luke Hanson, who twisted a knee at the weekend.