Dwyer recovering well

Rugby League

Bernard Dwyer is winning his fight to be fit to face his old St Helens team-mates at Wembley on Saturday.

The Bradford Bulls forward feared that he would miss the Silk Cut Challenge Cup final after injuring his right elbow at Wigan last Friday.

"But he trained today and came through exceptionally well," the Bradford coach, Brian Smith, said. "It's very surprising because I thought he was in a lot of trouble. But I think you'd have to hit Bernard with a crowbar to get him not to play."

Dwyer, who is now the favourite to play blind-side prop at Wembley, shares Smith's sense of relief. "It was a bit worrying at the time, but our physio was more worried than me. The X-ray has shown no serious damage and I won't have any trouble playing," he said.

With James Lowes and Steve McNamara cup-tied, Smith adds four players to the other 15 who were on duty at Wigan. The Fijian back Carlos Hassan, and the forwards Jason Donohue, Jon Hamer and Simon Knox complete a 19- man squad. Smith will reduce that to the requisite 17 on Thursday, the day after St Helens are due to name their Wembley line-up.

Smith's younger brother Tony is to join the Super League's back-markers, Workington Town. Smith, an experienced half-back, played with Illawarra and St George in the Winfield Cup and was to take up a coaching role with the ill-fated Super League club in Adelaide.

Workington, still without a point this season, have also signed the former Parramatta forward Brad Nairn, but they face possible legal action from two members of the Tongan World Cup squad who say that the club has reneged on their contracts. Peri Amato and Taukolo Tonga claim that they have signed deals with the club and that nobody has been in touch with them.

Leeds have confirmed the former New Zealand Test half-back, Dean Clark, as their second new overseas signing. Clark, aged 28, made seven appearances for his country between 1989 and 1992, and played briefly for the Scarborough Pirates before two seasons with Hull KR. He is expected to make his debut against the London Broncos on 5 May.

Leeds have better news of their first new arrival, Nathan Picchi, whose dislocated shoulder is now thought to be not as serious as first feared. The Hawkes Bay forward, who was injured in his first appearance on Sunday, may not need an operation and could be back in weeks rather than months.

Sheffield Eagles are expected to announce a major overseas signing today, to boost a squad which has won three of its first five Super League games but lost at Leeds on its last outing.

Wigan and Bath are joining forces to persuade the RFU to scrap the plan to reduce Twickenham's capacity for the cross-code meeting between the two clubs on 25 May.