Piper returns to lead Field
CAPTAIN BACK IN THE SIDE AHEAD OF TRIP TO PRESTON
HUDDERSFIELD Rugby Club face Preston away this Saturday after picking up their first win of the season last time out at home.
In team news, captain Dickie Piper returns to the side, whilst last season’s player of the year Lewis Workman makes his first start of the season after minor knee surgery in pre-season.
Jack Mapelsden also returns to the side whilst Rotherham Titans Argentine Agustin Defelitto is on the replacements bench.
Head coach Gareth Lewis believes last weekend’s win has had a positive effect on training.
He said: “It surprising what a win can do as there has been real energy in training this week and a bit of wind back in the sails.
“It’s always a very tough encounter against Preston and they are well coached by Paul Arnold but it’s one we are all looking forward too.”
Lewis added that Field had extra coaching at training in the run-up to the encounter.
“We had Marshall Gadd delivering a scrummage session with the forwards,” he said.
“Marshall is the former coach of Macclesfield and played in the Championship for Manchester, Birmingham Mosley and Rotherham. I’ve known Marshall for a number of years and it was great to pass on his expertise. We are up against a big, abrasive forward pack so we will need to be technically good this weekend.”
Last weekend was a big one for Field, with Will Millers’ kick at the end of time proving to settle the tie in favour of the home side.
Speaking after that match, Lewis said: “Despite the performance this result showed the lads have enormous resilience and character. The game looked dead and buried but they found a way to win which is crucial.”
Preston host Field after a tight 20-19 loss to Wharfedale last weekend, collecting just one bonus point.
However Preston currently sit in seventh place, seven positions above Field and four points above, with 121 points scored averaging 24.2 points-per-game compared to Field’s 82 points scored averaging at 16.4 points per game.
Reflecting on last weekend’s performance, Lewis noted: “I thought the tries we scored showed our capabilities but we must pick our moments when to be direct and when to play around teams.
“I thought we struggled to build any real sustained pressure due to a lack of urgency with and without the ball. We were guilty of handing the ball back to Scunthorpe too easily through individual errors, which was frustrating at times.”
Lewis will look for improvements in his side as they look for back-to-back league victories for the first time this season.
It’s surprising what a win can do as there has been real energy in training this week