Rugby league: Sampson in front line

Of the three forwards who played out of their skins for Castleford in last week's Regal Trophy quarter-final victory at Leeds, two were entirely predictable as key figures. The other was Dean Sampson.

If the old formula that when one plays well, the side plays well, applies to Lee Crooks and Tawera Nikau, the importance of Sampson has been harder to quantify. He goes into this afternoon's Regal semi-final - a repeat of last year's final - against Wigan in as good form as either of his illustrious team-mates, and with the clamour for his inclusion in the England squad reaching a deafening pitch.

But Sampson knows that it is his tendency to blow hot and cold that has cost him previous opportunities and has almost seen him surplus to requirements at Castleford on more than one occasion. But last Saturday at Headingley, Sampson ground down Leeds with a display of devastating prop-forward play.

"He wasn't really playing at his best when the teams for the Ashes Tests were picked," says his front-row colleague Lee Crooks. "But he has been the form prop for the last few weeks and he deserves a chance now.

"They used to say that he did the hard graft to make me look good. I think he's turned that around recently and he's been the one making the breaks."

The Great Britain coach, Ellery Hanley, who captained Leeds in last week's defeat, has a history of recognising the qualities of those who play well against him, so it may well be that Sampson will get the nod when the squad to play Wales in Cardiff on 1February is named this week.

There has already been a measure of recognition for another leading contributor to Castleford's victory at Leeds with the selection of Tony Smith on Thursday for the Great Britain party to compete in the World Sevens in Sydney.

Smith is not the most obviously creative of scrum-halves, but he is superb at one thing; backing up a break by a forward. With Crooks, Nikau and - on present form - Sampson running ahead of you, there is no better facet of the game for a Castleford man to have special talents.