Shaun Wane '˜won't risk' Tomkins against Tigers

Tomkins missed last weekend’s win over Wakefield with a swollen knee, paving the way for Romain Navarrete to take his place in the squad.

And although the forward was expected to be fit for the trip to The Mend A Hose Jungle, Wane revealed he intends to stick with the same squad which did the job against Trinity.

“He won’t play,” Wane said when asked about Tomkins’ fitness.

“No change. He’s close but I’m not going to risk him, neither am I with Sarge.”

Dan Sarginson’s most recent match was last month’s win over Hull FC in Wollongong, but he has since been left on the sidelines to recover from a shoulder problem which has stalled his return to Wigan.

But with the visit of Huddersfield and Easter weekend on the horizon, Wane is mindful of when he brings people back into the team.

“I’m happy with the way we’re going and I don’t think there’s any need to rush them back,” he said.

“We’ve got Easter coming up so it’s just not worth it.”

Wigan haven’t won at Castleford since a 33-26 success in May 2016, losing there twice since including a 54-4 drubbing last April.

And it is bitter memories like that which have Wane focusing on how his players approach Sunday.

“It’s just about our performance this weekend,” he insisted. “Our performances there these last few years have been abysmal. They were flying last year. We couldn’t buy a win there, we performed poorly.”

But with Warriors still improving and with four wins from their opening five, Wane is confident there will be no repeat of last season’s woes at the venue.

“If we perform the way we’ve been going this year, we’ve improved in every round from our friendlies, and if we keep on going, hopefully we can trouble them on Sunday,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wigan Warriors Women’s captain Gemma Walsh and St Helens Ladies’ Faye Gaskin will conduct the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fifth round draw on Tuesday, March 20. Warrington Wolves, Hull Kingston Rovers, Widnes Vikings and Catalans Dragons will enter the Cup at this stage. Wigan enter the Cup in round six.