‘Destiny is in our hands now’
SIMON Woolford is confident his Giants squad will overcome the pressure on Friday night in a match that could see their top eight place secured.
Huddersfield Giants make the trip to face Castleford Tigers (kick off 7.45pm) knowing a win will leave them clear of Leeds in ninth.
Head Coach Woolford is sure his players will take confidence from the fact their “destiny is in our own hands” and not be put off by the occasion. “We’ve come a long way in the last eight weeks and the guys have built some confidence and some belief,” he said.
“We’re going out into games now, knowing we can win them.
“I think the fact that we have put ourselves into this position - our destiny’s in our own hands - I think the guys will take that in their stride and I think they will play well. I don’t think the pressure will get to them at all.”
Castleford sit third in the table and Woolford is well aware of the test his side will face.
He said: “They’re obviously hard to beat at home. They’ve been a top team for a long time now. They had a very good team last year and they’re up in the top two or three teams this year so they’re very consistent with their performances.
“They’ve had some injury concerns of their own through the years so they’re slowly getting some players back too.
“But it’s more about us this week and where we can improve and making sure we’re accountable to each other and the team.
“All we can ask is we prepare well this week and we make sure we improve. We know if we do that, we go and play well, there’s no reason why we can’t put in a good performance.”
The Giants go into the game with a full squad of available players to choose from.
Woolford continued: “We’re looking pretty good on the injury front. Kruise Leeming’s available for selection this week, Jordan Rankin’s available for selection this week.
“Obviously Ukuma Ta’ai is back from suspension.
“Everyone’s come through the game unscathed and we’ve got three more to choose from so things are looking pretty healthy as far as players available this week.” FORMER England captain Kevin Sinfield has criticised Australia over their proposed four-year international calendar, arguing it would damage preparations for the 2021 World Cup.
Australia Rugby League chairman Peter Beattie cased a stir with both the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the International Federation (RLIF) by unveiling plans for a Kangaroos tour to the UK in 2019.
That would mean putting on hold the eagerly-anticipated return of the British Lions, who were due to tour down under in 2019 and receive Australia in 2020, 12 months out from the World Cup being staged in the UK.
Jon Dutton, chief executive of the 2021 World Cup, says high-profile international fixtures in the UK in 2020 are vital if organisers are to reach their target of getting threequarters of a million people through the turnstiles.
“For us in 2020 it is critical that there is international rugby league played here,” Dutton said.
“We have to stimulate a new market to achieve our target and to do that we need good quality international rugby league and that has to happen in 2020.
“I’m slightly disappointed that the calendar isn’t fixed.”
Dutton was speaking in MediaCityUK at the launch of a legacy programme designed to invest up to £20million into the grass-roots game.
Sinfield, the newly-appointed director of rugby at Leeds, was also at the launch in his role as 2021 World Cup ambassador and echoed Dutton’s concerns.
“I sit here with a little bit of disappointment,” said Sinfield, who still works one day a week as the RFL’s director of rugby.
“I had an understanding of what the international calendar was going to be for the next four years and suddenly it looks like there may be some doubt with that.
“We need meaningful fixtures as a nation leading to the World Cup.
“I thought 2020 would be the year we’d get to play for the Ashes again and I’d be really disappointed if that’s changed.”
Under Beattie’s schedule, England would host a Four Nations Series in 2020.