Rotherham Titans face another stiff test this weekend when they host Hull Ionians in what is expected to be a typically physical and hard-fought Yorkshire derby; kick-off at Clifton Lane on Saturday is 2pm.
Ionians will come into the game full of confidence having lost just once in their last six outings; that being a narrow 22-16 reversal to league leaders Hull. They also impressed last weekend with a battling win at Dore Moor, as they put Sheffield Tigers to the sword 16-13.
Likewise Rotherham will be in confident mood having beaten top-end side Stourbridge 48-33 last time out, to inflict the West Midlanders with their first home defeat of the season.
Roth and Ionians have faced each other on three previous league occasions, with the South Yorkshire side holding a narrow advantage after one draw and two wins; the latest being a 27-24 victory at Brantingham Park earlier in the season.
Going into Saturday’s game Rotherham have made three changes to their starting XV.
Along the backline Lloyd Hayes returns to the side at outside centre as Jamie Cooke moves on to the wing for George Tucker.
Whilst in the pack Alastair Donkor starts at loosehead for the injured Charlie Capps and Kieran Curran comes into the back row for the injured Zak Poole, which sadly ends his impressive run of 58 consecutive starts for the club. Matt Challinor will skipper the side in Poole’s absence.
Speaking ahead of the game Titans Adam Byron said:
“I was really pleased with our first half performance at Stourbridge last week; we put a lot of things right that weren’t quite there for us against Fylde the week before. Our focus last week was to be clinical and to put a bit more detail in what we were trying to do and that’s exactly what the boys did.
“If you look at the stats from the game in terms of territory and possession and the opportunities created, it is very similar to the Fylde game. It was not a hugely different performance in terms of the stats; the big difference was every time we had an opportunity at Stourbridge we took it and we came away with points.
“We’ll have to do the same against Hull Ionians because we know what a good side they are. They are very similar to us in that they have a big pack of forwards and they are very physical and like us they have the ability to spread the ball wide when they want to.
“We’ll look to be as physical as we always are and make sure we take that clinical aspect of our game from last week into this one. We are well aware if we get our basics right that will put us in a great position to implement the way we want to go about our business.”
Titans: 15 Matt Minogue, 14 Connor Field, 13 Lloyd Hayes, 12 Harry Dunne, 11 Jamie Cooke, 10 Joe Carlisle, 9 Sam Boxhall, 1 Alastair Donkor, 2 Harry Newborn, 27 Rikki Stout, 4 Matt Challinor (Capt.), 5 Matt Smith, 6 Kieran Curran, 7 Matti Williams, 8 Callum Bustin.
Replacements: 16 Jack Bergmanas, 17 Colin Quigley, 18 Lewis Wilson, 19 Tom Richardson, 20 Jonny West.
