Rossy look well set up for run-in

RUGBY UNION SHELDAN KEAY

ROSSENDALE RUFC head coach Mark Nelson believes the final four league games could prove to be the club’s toughest of the season.

Nelson’s side have been extremely impressive during the campaign so far, winning 19 and lost just three of their 22 games to leave them in second place.

They now turn their attention to their remaining matches, which includes home games against third placed Hull and runaway league leaders Huddersfield, who have won all 22 of their matches.

Nelson is expecting difficult battles, but hopes that his team can build on the impressive displays they have put in throughout the season.

“We’re set up well for the run in – which is four very tough games starting with Hull,” he said.

“We’ve got to keep focused – the position we’re in now is a good pressure to have – but the pressure is on us to deliver.

“We’re not going to peter out because we’ve got something tangible to play for – and that’s what drives the players – that tangible reward at the end of the season. This league has got a lot of tough teams in it, a lot of very good players and some very tough places to go.

“Last season we only won four away games – we did well at home – but this season we’ve actually been able to get wins away from home and perform well. And with every week the belief in the side grows.

“There are many ways of winning games and if you’re going to be successful you’ve got to be adaptable to the circumstances you find yourselves in. You can’t win by 30 points in every game – if you do you’re in the wrong league.”

Rossendale have been praised by onlookers for the performances they have produced this season, but Nelson insists that lots of hard work over a long period has gone into producing the results.

“Bringing in a new style of play takes two years to bed in and we’ve brought some key players into the side – Dominic Moon’s captaincy has made a significant difference – and Nick Flynn and Reece Tomlinson have come into the pack to augment the players we already had,” he said.

“Crucially the younger players are coming through now and they understand the game we are trying to play – which is a sophisticated game – they’re buying into that which makes a huge difference.

“It’s more of a mind-set than a style – an attacking mind-set with or without the ball. It takes a degree of skill to deliver and having the confidence - when you’re under pressure - to perform well.

“We’ll have days when it doesn’t work but they have to keep their nerve and have confidence in their own ability to perform and they’ve done that admirably well. Let’s just hope we can sustain that over the next four league games to get us into the play-offs.”