Saints receive Cunningham boost

St Helens have allayed fears that captain Keiron Cunningham has a broken jaw.

It was thought the 33-year-old former Great Britain hooker, in his last season before retirement, had sustained an injury which would bring a premature end to his career during his side's 36-10 Engage Super League win over Crusaders at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday night.

But initial scans have revealed no break, although Saints officials have not made any comment on when Cunningham will be back in action.

He is due to hang up his boots at the end of the 2010 campaign - his 18th for his home-town club - and he will be desperate to lead St Helens out for the last match of the regular season against Castleford on Friday week.

Saints are moving out of Knowsley Road at the end of the season - they will groundshare with Widnes until their new stadium is ready - and the club have billed the Castleford game as a grand farewell.

Cunningham, who is third in the all-time list of most appearances for St Helens with 492, would love to bow out at Old Trafford with a fourth consecutive Grand Final and his side improved their chances with Saturday's seven-try triumph which lifted them into second place in the Super League table.

St Helens are still waiting to discover the extent of worrying injuries suffered in Wrexham to England half-back Kyle Eastmond and second rower Matty Ashurst, who may have sustained a season-ending knee injury.

England coach Steve McNamara will also be anxiously awaiting the outcome of tests on Eastmond, who is a certainty for the end-of-season Four Nations Series in New Zealand and Australia fitness-permitting.

Eastmond, who inherited Sean Long's number seven jersey at the start of the year, has already missed nine matches so far with ankle and shoulder injuries and was helped off early in the second half on Saturday with a hip injury.