Warrington winger Fa'afili called into Kiwi squad

New Zealand have called the Warrington winger, Henry Fa'afili, into their Tri-Nations squad to cover for the loss of Lesley Vainikolo and Motu Tony.

New Zealand have called the Warrington winger, Henry Fa'afili, into their Tri-Nations squad to cover for the loss of Lesley Vainikolo and Motu Tony.

Vainikolo is to have knee surgery after tomorrow's match against Australia at Loftus Road, while Tony has stayed in Auckland to be with his wife and new-born baby. That means a call-up for Fa'afili, who scored a hat-trick of tries for the Kiwis in the first Test against Great Britain in 2002. Fa'afili will not be involved tomorrow, but could come into the reckoning for the two matches against the home side, at Huddersfield on 6 November and Hull two weeks later.

The Rugby League might abandon the principle of having a neutral referee for all matches in the tournament. The little-known New Zealander, Glen Black, was supposed to officiate between Great Britain and Australia, but the Australian coach, Wayne Bennett, has described that plan as "absolutely ridiculous" and the two games are now likely to be split between Russell Smith and Tim Mander.

The beaten Grand Finalists, Bradford, have confirmed the signings of Ryan Hudson and Andy Lynch from Castleford.