RANGI Chase has almost certainly played the final match of his brief and unhappy Leigh Centurions career.

The former Man of Steel and England international is out of Sunday’s Kingstone Press Championship game with Oldham at Bower Fold, Stalybridge.

A club statement on the Chase mystery was expected after the Journal went to press.

The New Zealand born half back has been linked with Super League strugglers, Hull KR but it remains to be seen if the controversial 30-year-old star has a future in this country.

“There is obviously something going on,” admitted coach Neil Jukes. “There are too many rumours for there not to be. But I can’t comment.”

The club’s official Twitter account on Monday evening insisted the former Castleford and Salford playmaker hadn’t been sacked but speculation over the player’s future remains rampant.

Chase, a regular social media user via Instagram, hasn’t posted any comments since last week when he said: “When you know you’re not playing good enough is frustrating.

“Just got to stick with it and keep training hard and it will come.

“Us as a team work hard for each other we just got to be smarter.”

His last appearance came in a 37-30 win over Batley Bulldogs on May 1; one of only five Championship outings since his arrival from Salford last year. He has scored just two tries, including one against Featherstone last month on his comeback from a lengthy lay-off.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, for the division’s leaders. Greg Worthington and Jonny Pownall are back in full training, Willie Tonga could feature for only the second time in his Leigh career against the Roughyeds while new boy Brad Fash has arrived on a month’s loan from Hull FC.

Fuifui Moimoi is also doing light skills session with his team mates after making a full recovery from his recent viral infection.

“It’s been a really demanding first half of the year with the injuries and a bit of stuff off the field,” added Jukes.

“So, it was a well earned break last weekend though obviously we still wanted to be in the Challenge Cup.

“The lads came back in on Monday and there was a really good vibe about the place.

“Now, we have got to kick on until the back end of the year.

“It’s all about getting in that Middle Eight and what we do in that Middle Eight is how we will be judged.”

Leigh were 48-18 winners when they played Oldham back in February. But Roughyeds coach Scott Naylor is promising a closer encounter.

“We are a better team now than we were when we went to Leigh,” he said.

“We have a few different players and a few lads coming back from injury so we have a very strong squad to choose from.

“It’s a challenge my lads have ear marked on the calendar since the fixtures came out.”

Jukes replied: “Oldham are no different to any other team. They all come after us because of what we have done previously.

“I’d like to think we have lost a bit of that arrogance we may have had about us.

“But ultimately we are top of the league and everyone wants to raise their game against us.”