Rick Stone wants the Huddersfield Giants to keep it simple in their bid to beat Featherstone Rovers at home on Sunday and launch a successful Middle 8s challenge at the second time of asking.

The club’s new Australian head coach admits a key task this week has been to lift his players in the wake of their demoralising 34-12 defeat at fellow top-flight side Salford last weekend.

The loss means Huddersfield have to win five of their remaining six Middle 8s fixtures – at home to Featherstone, London and Leeds and away to Batley, Leigh and Hull KR – to guarantee automatic Super League survival.

Stone knows it’s something his under-pressure side is capable of achieving.

But he’s also well aware that if they don’t start cutting out the basic errors they’ll make things exceptionally tough for themselves.

“To be successful in this competition we have to start playing semi-final footy,” said Stone.

“That’s exactly what Salford did against us last week, and it’s up to us to do the same against Featherstone this weekend.

“What we have to do is keep things simple and make sure we don’t try and over-play. We have to be patient.

Huddersfield Giants u19 v London Broncos at Lockwood Park, Huddersfield - Giants Coach Rick Stone.

“I also want to see us showing more sting in our line speed, more aggression in our defence, and keep it simple and play more direct in attack.

“If we do that then we’ll make things a lot easier for ourselves.

“Although we’ve had a bit of a look at the way Featherstone play – I went to see them at home to Leeds last Saturday (when they lost 62-6) – this week really has been more about fixing our own things up.

“I was impressed with the way Featherstone started against Leeds, and we must prepare ourselves for them looking to start strongly.

“This is a very important game and we have to make sure we play well from minute one.”

Although this will be Featherstone’s first League visit to Huddersfield since they were beaten 37-12 in an old Second Division game in 1997, there are one or two very familiar faces in the Championship club’s travelling party.

Apart from head coach Jon Sharp, who was in charge at the Giants between 2004 and 2008, the Rovers pack will include two former Huddersfield forwards in Darrell Griffin and Steve Snitch. There would have been a third, but second-row forward Jamie Cording is currently sidelined through injury.

The visitors also include four young stars on loan from Leeds Rhinos in James Duckworth, Josh Walters, Jordan Baldwinson and Luke Briscoe.