Bradford's Bridge rejoins Giants on loan

One of Great Britain's most promising young players, Chris Bridge, has gone back to his former club just days after signing a new four-year contract at Bradford.

Bridge, who shone for the England Academy team which beat the Australian Schoolboys in November, left Huddersfield for the Bulls last year after a tribunal ruled that he was a free agent.

Earlier this month, his progress was recognised when he was given a first-team squad number. But now he has gone back on loan to the Giants, who have been promoted to Super League for this season, intially for the minimum period of a month.

"This is a chance for both the Bulls and ourselves to look at him in first-team action," the Huddersfield chief executive, Ralph Rimmer, said.

Bridge will make his second debut for the Giants tonight, starting on the bench against Leeds in a pre-season friendly, alongside Darren Fleary, who will be playing against his former club. Gary Connolly will be making his first appearance for Leeds at full-back.

Steve McNamara, who almost retired at the end of last season, has been named as Huddersfield's captain for the season. "I hope that I can get as much pleasure in leading the side into Super League as I did in the Northern Ford Premiership," the 31-year-old loose forward said.

Leigh, who lost to Huddersfield in the NFP Grand Final last year, will not be paying their players for defeats this season, after the players themselves suggested a change in their wage structure.

"If they lose, they don't get paid. It's as simple as that," said the Leigh coach, Paul Terzis. "It's the players' idea and testimony to their determination."

The new system comes into play for the first time for the Arriva Trains Cup tie at Swinton on Sunday.

Russia will take part in the World Sevens in Sydney this weekend after the resolution of their squad's visa problems. The players, a number of whom played for Lokomotiv Moscow in their Challenge Cup defeat by Leigh last Saturday, have been allowed into Australia, but several of their officials are still delayed by immigration problems and could miss the meeting of the game's International Federation which coincides with the tournament.

A curtain-raising Sevens tournament in Canberra has raised A$150,000 (£58,000) for victims of the Australian bushfires. South Sydney's Andrew King is being linked with a possible move to Halifax.