St Helens give young guns run in build-up to Cup final

The Challenge Cup finalists and Super League leaders, St Helens, could give debuts to no fewer than nine young players at the Catalans Dragons on Saturday.

With Twickenham a week away, Daniel Anderson is set to name just four of the team likely to play Huddersfield in the final. "We have five players who genuinely can't play and a couple are due for a rest," Anderson said. "But the bottom line is that we have a blue-riband event on Saturday week."

Saints have run into criticism in the past for fielding weakened teams and the Rugby League will be checking that they are complying with the rules this time.

Apart from the youngsters, they have included 36-year-old Tommy Hodgkinson, who last played for the first team 12 years ago, while James Graham is set to become the club's youngest captain at 20.

Huddersfield are without Brad Drew for their trip to Wigan on Friday. Drew has been left out to rest tight calf muscles. "We think he will be fine for the final," said their manager, Stuart Sheard, who is slightly less confident about Chris Thorman's hamstring pull.

Harlequins have signed the Melbourne and Australia playmaker Scott Hill on a two-year contract. Hill is equally adept at stand-off, where he would replace Luke Dorn, who is moving from Quins to Salford.

Danny Nutley, the Castleford captain who has been released from the last two years of his contract because his family are homesick, is to join the Sydney Roosters.

Prop forward Paul King was handed a one-match ban and fined £300 after being found guilty by the Rugby League's disciplinary commitee of a dangerous throw on Huddersfield's Phil Bentham on Sunday. King will sit out Hull's match against Salford on Sunday.