The Stuart Raper Column

AS seems the norm for the sport these days, the action on the pitch seems to be at the back of everyone's mind, although this week, the headlines in the newspapers have no doubt been music to the ears of many league fans.

The news that Kieron Cunningham of St Helens is to stay with the club and the sport for the next four years is a major boost to us all.

Kieron is regarded by many as the best hooker in the world and as a result, he is also likely to play an integral part in the Great Britain quest to wrestle the Ashes from Australia this autumn.

Kieron was a major target for the Welsh Rugby Union, but he was keen to stay with his home town club and the sport he has enjoyed since being a boy.

We at Wigan then followed that up with the news that Paul Johnson, another rugby union target, will stay at the JJB Stadium for a further three years.

Paul has been a regular in the team since I arrived at the club and has been playing well. His signing came on the back of the news that we had signed Jamie Ainscough of the St George Illawarra Dragons on a two-year contract.

Jamie is an exceptional talent, who will add plenty of skill to our back division.

After all this good news for the sport, we have the small matter of the Saints v Wigan fixture to look forward to this Friday. The build-up to the game has been slightly subdued from a media perspective thanks to the player issues that surround us at the moment, but the build-up from a playing perspective has been anything but subdued.

We have had a good preparation for the game and have no doubt that we are in for a tough encounter this Friday.

Both clubs can sniff the play-offs on the horizon, with Saints desperate to win after their loss to Cas last week. I have told the players that our destiny is in our own hands and that we must not look at other clubs to slip up in our quest to finish top of the table.