Cunningham blow for Wales and Great Britain

Wales and, in all probability, Great Britain have suffered a major blow to their hopes of beating New Zealand with a further injury to one of their most pivotal players, Keiron Cunningham.

The St Helens hooker has been playing with a broken bone in his hand for the last few weeks. He aggravated the damage in training yesterday and is out of the Wales side to meet the Kiwis in Cardiff on Sunday and very doubtful for the first Test at Blackburn on 9 November.

The Leeds centre, Chev Walker, has been promoted to the Great Britain squad after an eye-catching performance for England A against the Kiwis at Brentford on Wednesday. Walker was pulled out of the England A tour to Tonga and Fiji.

England A have also lost Wigan's Martin Aspinwall to a virus and the St Helens forward, John Stankevitch, who is staying at home on standby for Great Britain. The gaps have been filled by Saints' Mark Edmondson, Stuart Reardon of Bradford and Leeds' Jamie Jones-Buchanan.

New Zealand will be without Motu Tony for the rest of their tour after he damaged a hand at Brentford.

Wakefield have signed two Australians, Wests-Tigers' Ben Jeffries and Newcastle's Clinton O'Brien for next season, as well as Richard Newlove from Featherstone.

Warrington have re-signed Ian Sibbitt, who spent last season with the Melbourne Storm. Salford's Francis Maloney has signed for Castleford for a second time, while a persistent shoulder injury has forced St Helens' Peter Shiels to retire.

Salford are releasing eight players following the club's relegation from Super League, including Alan Hunte, the former Great Britain winger, and the Australian Damian Gibson, who plays for Wales against New Zealand at Cardiff on Sunday.