Wellens out for Saints

St Helens full-back Paul Wellens will be out for up to three weeks with a quad injury, but hooker Keiron Cunningham will be back for Sunday's Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth-round tie against London Skolars.

Matt Gidley, who switched from centre when Wellens missed his last match against Salford last August, will again deputise at full-back.

The return of Cunningham, who has missed the last six matches with a torn quad, enables coach Daniel Anderson to rest James Roby, while Sean Long will also sit out Sunday's tie.

"Keiron has been chomping at the bit for a few weeks now," said Anderson.

"It gives us a good opportunity to rest James Roby, especially with a five-day turnaround."

Anderson is likely to give a debut to 18-year-old stand-off Gary Wheeler from the bench.

Meanwhile, London Skolars captain Paul Thorman is relishing the chance to pit himself against some of the best players in the world.

The former Gateshead and York half-back, who got his hands on the famous old trophy on Monday when it was taken to Finsbury Park as part of the RFL's promotional tour, said: "I've played in the Challenge Cup every season I've been a pro and I know what it means to players and fans.

"I'm excited at the thought of playing against Saints, the holders. It's the best draw we could have had. We've played against Warrington and Wakefield before but they're not as glamorous."