New sponsors for Challenge Cup

The game's oldest competition will be known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup following a six-year sponsorship deal with Leeds Metropolitan University.

Under the terms of the innovative deal, the League's technical staff and new panel of six full-time referees will be based at the Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education, which is part of Leeds Met.

Carnegie are also the sponsors of the World Club Challenge and after taking over from Powergen, their association with the Challenge Cup is thought to be putting between £6m and £10m into the game by 2012.

Wakefield's new signing, Danny Sculthorpe, will miss the start of the season after damaging ankle ligaments at the club's pre-season training camp in Torremolinos, Spain. His elder brother, Paul, might not appear for St Helens until after Easter, although he is now back in training after knee surgery.

Wigan have six new players making their debuts in a friendly at Huddersfield tomorrow, including the Australian internationals, Trent Barrett and Phil Bailey.

Huddersfield have five newcomers, including Ryan Hudson, whose two-year suspension for steroid abuse expires at midnight tonight. He makes his debut despite being arrested for damage and assault last weekend on the club's pre-season trip to Portugal.