Officials at Hilton Park and Knowsley Road are to take legal advice following the RFL's ruling on Wednesday that Halifax's registration of Mick Higham had been accepted. The clubs could go to the High Court in a bid to get the ruling overturned.

The RFL has accepted Halifax's explanation that they were entitled to sign hooker Higham who had a clause in his Leigh contract giving him permission to join a Super League club.

The Blue Sox claim to have got a signed contract from Higham in September but St Helens made their move after an RFL tribunal ruled he was a free agent last month.

Leigh were unable to reach a compensation agreement with Halifax but then struck a £15,000 plus two player deal with Saints.

Higham has been training with Saints for the past month and was due to make his debut in the Boxing Day friendly at Wigan. But earlier this week the RFL's Director of Rugby, Greg McCallum, made his decision after studying the case notes while on a flight to Australia. McCallum said: "My fellow Executive Directors and I have carefully studied all the evidence submitted as well as taking legal advice and there is no reason why we should not accept Halifax's registration of Higham."

It's a decision that's staggered both the Centurions and the Saints.

Leigh chairman Mike Nolan says: "Everyone is totally appalled by the decision. It flies in the face of all logic and commonsense, but to be honest nothing the Rugby League does these days surprises me anymore.

"It just shows how things are in our game when I'm told of this crucial ruling by a member of the media and not by the Rugby League.

"We've now got to sit down and take stock and decide which road we go down. I'll be having talks with Saints to see if we go ahead and fight a joint legal challenge.

"Our main concern in this whole mess is the poor player. He's caught in the cross-fire. Mick Higham wants to play for Saints, not Halifax." Saints boss Ian Millward, the former Leigh coach, says: "Higham is either our property or Leigh's because when he signed for Halifax on September 4 it was an illegal act. He was still under contract to Leigh.

"Mick has sent an affidavit to the League saying he wants to play for us not Halifax."