YOUNG Saints outside backs Dan Hill and Jumah Sambou are now fully fit and recovered after having last season cut short through injury.

Hill, a versatile 20-year-old signed from Widnes ahead of last season, played twice last term but injured his shoulder in the win over Castleford in early August. 

Sambou scored on his debut last April at Castleford, but he too had his season cut short with injury.

Saints coach Paul Wellens confirmed that both are now fully recovered and started back in training  on 9 November – and will both add depth to the first team squad's outside backs in 2023.

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Wellens added: "It is a big pre-season for those types of guys to get themselves in the best possible physical shape but there are certain technicalities around playing wing, in the centres and full back.

"We are working hard on the things they need to improve on and we hope to make those improvements with them and they will provide real competition for spaces in the outside backs."

Saints have lost Regan Grace and Josh Simm from the backs this year, but have brought in Tee Ritson and Wes Bruines in the off season.

With Grace out for most of last term, Will Hopoate in and out and Mark Percival missing for four months the Saints backline was stretched at times, compounded by Jack Welsby moving into the halves in Lewis Dodd's absence.

Apart from hoping for a better run with injuries, the new recruits and the additional year's experience of players like Jon Bennison and Ben Davies will give more cover to that are in 2023. 

Wellens said: "We identified that we were a little light in the outside backs, particularly after Regan went.

"You had some games last year where Joe Batchelor and Sione Mata’utia played centre – in an ideal world those are situations that you would like to avoid but circumstances dictated that.

"We have Mark Percival, Will Hopoate and Konrad Hurrell who play centre, but Ben Davies did well last year and if you throw Dan Hill then there are a number of options for centre.

"We want to do that with the wing positions as well to provide that competition for place.

"We feel one of the key ingredients for our success over the last few years is competition for places.

"That keeps everybody on their toes and hungry to impress."