New father Fielden joins up with squad

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Stuart Fielden is finally on his way to join the rest of England's squad for the Four Nations. The Wigan prop flew to New Zealand last night, four days after the rest of the party, having stayed behind for the overdue birth of his first child. He will arrive in Auckland in time to be considered for the warm-up match against the New Zealand Maori on Saturday.

New Zealand's second-rower, Simon Mannering, could miss the first-ever Test against Samoa that follows England's game at Mt Smart Stadium. Mannering has been quarantined from the rest of the team after going down with an unidentified illness.

Castleford have had something of a clear-out, with the reserve centre Matthew Harding joining Hunslet, while the full-back Sam Lynch has signed for York.