SAINTS' postponed game at Hull KR, which was scheduled for Friday, is the second match they have seen called off in the space of three weeks due to Covid in the opposition ranks.

Two weeks ago the Leeds clash was scuppered after an outbreak at Headingley cost the Rhinos two games.

That, coupled with the problems that saw Saints Academy, Under 16s and Women’s team have fixtures called off with Covid related issues, has brought home that the virus and its impact has not gone away.

With a big day at Wembley on the horizon next month, and a packed fixture card before then, it is an issue the Saints camp have at the forefront of their minds.

Last year two Salford players - Dan Sarginson and Jack Ormondroyd - missed out on Wembley due to Covid issues ahead of the game.

Coach Kristian Woolf explained that some extra precautionary measures were being put in place to ensure the club is doing everything within its powers to stave off the threat of Covid impacting on the Challenge Cup showpiece.

Woolf said: “It is something we have spoken about today. It is a real worry at the moment.

"We have already had four Super League games called off – the risk of that increasing seems to be getting bigger every week.

“In Australia they put the players into bubbles and I have said before that is something I would be more than willing to do if it meant our competition and the big games we have coming up actually happen.

“We have had discussions within our own group about what sacrifices we may have to make and what we are willing to make to try and make sure we don’t get that sort of interference before we do get to Wembley or even before the Challenge Cup final.”

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Woolf stressed that it was not simply about Wembley – but the three Super League tightly-packed games against Castleford, Wigan and Wakefield before the big day in London.

“Ahead of Wembley we play three games in 11 days and if you get a number of Covid cases and get shut down for two weeks you are going to miss three games and we just can’t afford that.

“It has too big an impact on your competition and too big an impact on your ability to have success,” he said.

“We are certainly going to put some measures in place and go above and beyond what the general public are doing in making some sacrifice.

“But there are some things we just can’t control. A lot of players and staff have kids at school, wives who have to work; things that do expose us unfortunately.

“With those things we just have to cross our fingers and hope.”