Cayless to miss cup semi
St Helens will be without prop forward Jason Cayless for Saturday's Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-final after he flew home to Australia following the sudden death of his mother Marlene.
The 27-year-old New Zealand international caught a flight to Sydney on Wednesday after hearing of the tragic news.
Saints coach Daniel Anderson, whose side face Bradford, said: "Naturally, this is a difficult time for the Cayless family and everyone at St Helens wishes him well for the journey home and sends its utmost sympathies to his family and friends."
Older brother Nathan Cayless, the Parramatta captain, has also been granted indefinite leave by his club, whose players will wear black armbands in Sunday's NRL match against Manly at Parramatta Stadium.
The news is a major blow to Saints' hopes of reaching their fifth cup final in seven years.
Cayless was a member of the team that beat Huddersfield 42-12 in last year's final at Twickenham and has missed only two of his club's 25 matches this season.
Former Wigan front-rower Bryn Hargreaves, who was expected to drop out of Saints' 20-man squad, is now likely to be on the bench for the game against the Bulls at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, with James Graham moving into the starting line-up.
