Future twist for Ben Nakubuwai as Leigh Leopards’ patience is put to the test upon signing

Although Nakubuwai has been linked to a move to the Castleford Tigers, it is unlikely to happen for the time being.

Although Leigh Leopards manager Adrian Lam said that the team is still interested in Newcastle Knights fullback David Armstrong, he also acknowledged that their present efforts to sign him are “not working out.” Armstrong and the Leopards have a lengthy history together; in February, Rugby League Live reported that the Challenge Cup winners hoped to add Armstrong to their roster.

This week, the connection resurfaced when Love Rugby League reported that Castleford Tigers were interested in Ben Nakubuwai, and head coach Craig Lingard acknowledged that such talks had taken place.

Lam said that Nakubuwai would not be leaving the club at this time and that Armstrong was not someone the team could immediately acquire because of his own situation in the NRL.

“It’s a position we’ve been looking at for a little while and he has been of interest to me and the group,” Lam stated. “Without a doubt. We think he would fit right in here, and our kind of play would be perfect for him. Whether it’s during the off-season or the off-season, we’re always willing to consider anyone who is not under contract but could improve us.

“He is a player we are interested in, it’s not working out at the moment and that’s what happens so we’ve just got to keep making sure we look after our own backyard first and if things change we’ll make notice of that and let everybody know.”

Regarding Nakubuwai, Lam stated that the Fijian will be temporarily residing in Leigh Sports Village.

“I believe it originated from a small amount of media attention; I’m not sure where else it came from. I’m not sure where that came from, but Ben has been playing for us every week, and because of our lack of players, we’ve had to keep onto him and make sure he’s available for us.

“I think Ben probably needs to play more minutes at some point, so as a club, we’ll decide in the coming weeks whether to start him here or send him out on loan.” However, that is not going to occur at this time.”

As it stands, Nakubuwai’s ailment prevents him from being selected this week. Ben is a little bit behind the eight ball this week due to his injury, according to Lam. “I believe it to be a soft tissue, but I’m not positive because we just talked about it this morning. I’ll learn more about it at the medical meeting later today, and as time goes on, we’ll learn a little bit more.

As for the Leopards, who have been dealt yet another injury blow—a calf tear—with Gareth O’Brien now expected to miss at least six weeks of action. Following the injuries to John Asiata and Tom Briscoe, Leigh held internal conversations over the team’s injury concerns.

“His return to playing will be a long-term one. He’s most likely six weeks or older. We’ve clearly had a couple calf tears, so this is just another one, which is bad news for us.

“Those discussions have come up often. Some of them, like Edwin’s injuries, are simply unlucky. However, we had a chance to hire an S&C coach at the beginning of the year, and when the preseason began, no one was hired for four weeks, which caused significant disruption for us. We’re still working to figure out why it’s the way it is, even if it’s not perfect. Science suggests that the players have had enough time to get it right, but that doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee.”