by Our Sports Desk

Keighley captain James Feather backed calls for regular heart screening to be introduced to the Championship yesterday in the wake of the tragic death of Danny Jones.

Jones, a 29-year-old Wales international, collapsed and died of suspected cardiac arrest during Sunday’s League One match at London Skolars.

Although regular screening takes place in the Super League, it is not mandatory in the second and third tiers of professional rugby league and that needs to change, said Feather.

“They come down here to train four nights a week after work and it’s a lot on their bodies,” Feather said. “You don’t know what underlying problems they might have until something like this happens.

“The Rugby League definitely needs to stand up and try to put something in place to make sure players are looked after.”

Tony Tonks, a 30-year-old forward with Sheffield Eagles, has been pushing for ECG tets to be made compulsory through the Yorkshire-based charity Heartbeat of Sport, of which he recently became chief executive.

“I have been with the charity from the start and, from the moment I got involved, I knew what our goal would be, to make ECG screening compulsory in all levels of all sports and making sure these clubs have the right equipment, should the worst happen,” Tonks said.

“In February 2014, we screened Halifax, which was the first Championship club to ever be screened, and I said Heartbeat of Sport would like to take this further in the future to make sure every semi-professional club and amateur clubs get the chance to get the easy and simple test that takes just 10 minutes and helps save the lives of sportsmen and women who are at greater risk of cardiac problems.

“For the last two years I have been trying to stress the need for screening, defibrillators and CPR training throughout the rugby league community and all sporting clubs.

“Testing players for cardiac problems, I believe, should be done annually.

“As the standards of the competition goes up each year, the pressure on a player’s performance and training increases.”

Keighley’s League One game against Coventry on Sunday will go ahead at the request of the family of Jones.

Keighley’s players were due to decide after training last night whether to go ahead with the home game against Coventry but chairman Gary Fawcett announced at lunchtime that it would take place.

“I can confirm that our head coach, Paul March, has confirmed that Danny’s family have requested for the game to go ahead this Sunday,” Fawcett said.

A minute’s silence will be held across rugby league this weekend as a mark of respect for Jones.