Following their humbling by Nottingham Outlaws last weekend, the Gloucestershire Warriors travel to Leicester to face the Phoenix looking to get back to winning ways in the Co-operative Rugby League Conference Midland Premier division (kick off 2.30pm).
The Phoenix have themselves been heavily beaten by the Outlaws, losing 58-4 on the opening day of the season and last week crashed to a 100-0 loss at the hands of the division’s new boys, Bedford Tigers.
The Phoenix have relocated this season and are playing out of Aylestone St James RFC. They were hoping that the move and the new season would bring them a change of fortune after a dismal 2007 campaign but the size of the loss at Bedford must have hit morale hard.
In front of their own fans, they will be looking to make amends and the Warriors would do well to guard against complacency in their quest for the points.
Last season, the Warriors recorded home and away wins over the Phoenix with the 44-12 victory in Leicester being their biggest ever away win over them.
A Warriors spokesman said: “We have yet to really play well this season. Our ball control has been poor in both our games and you just can’t do that against anyone in this division. If we address that and put some structure back in our game, we are confident that we can go there and get a result.”
“The players we have available are certainly capable of playing some great rugby league but we need to get the foundations right before we can build the kind of game we want to play.”
Coach Tom James will hope to have available most of the side that lost to the Outlaws last week and is happy to give them a chance to redeem themselves against the Phoenix.
“I know we’re capable of better than what we’ve played so far this season,” he said. “It hasn’t happened as quickly as I would have liked but there are definite signs we are progressing. I’d like to see more of the same this week because there are plenty of tough games to come.”
Elsewhere in the Midlands Premier, Bedford travel to Coventry Bears aiming to build on their tremendous win over Leicester but the reigning champions will be in no mood to let their title slip and a close game looks sure to ensue.
The Bears used their bye week last weekend to compete in the Cheltenham 9s at the Cheltenham Rugby Festival and, though they lost all their pool matches, a number of players new to the club gained some valuable experience.
There is a big derby in the East Midlands as league leaders Nottingham take on Derby City in what is bound to be a fiercely contested game. The Outlaws won both the encounters last season but there was precious little between the sides and City will be encouraged by their win over Birmingham last week especially as they came from 22-6 down to win 29-22.
The Outlaws have yet to taste defeat this season and their unbeaten run will be under threat this week.
WARRIORS MILESTONES
Ronnie Haines made his 50th appearance for the Warriors against Nottingham last week. Haines debuted in the Warriors first ever match against Chester Wolves in May 1998 and has also played for Hemel Hempstead and London Broncos ‘A’. He has represented the RLC and has played for England Lionhearts.
Two players scored on their debuts against Birmingham Bulldogs in Round 1. Prop Brad Tindall and stand off Stephan Fourie, who scored three tries.
