HUDDERSFIELD RU coach Dan Hyde will be looking for the same sort of commitment his side showed in last week’s caning of Kendal when they tackle Leicester Lions at Lockwood Park tomorrow (3.00).
And he will be sending out virtually the same side as the one which romped home 41-5 seven days ago in Cumbria, with the message ‘maintain your level of desire and intensity.’
“This season the League is really wide open, and any game is there for the taking,” said Hyde.
“We’ve already proved that when we came so close to beating Caldy and Loughborough Students.
“So we have to go into the match with our eyes wide open and be fully focused, or we risk having the same result we suffered at Hull Ionians earlier in the season when we turned up almost believing it was our right to victory and then got rolled over.”
Hyde’s only changes in the side from the one which secured their biggest-ever win at Kendal sees Adam Ryder starting on the wing in place of Adam Sutcliffe, while Ben Hoyle has recovered from his smack on the nose to start in place of Franny Entressengle, who goes on the bench.
Ryder, who has just been selected in the Co-operative Conference National Rugby League’s ‘Dream Team’ after helping Underbank to victory in the play-off final against Kippax Knights at Warrington, came off the bench last week at Kendal, and is a proven try-scorer.
Chris Johnson is currently the leading try-scorer with five to date, closely followed by Nick Sharpe on three.
The coach is also still without utility back David Hall, currently in New Zealand watching the Rugby World Cup, and centre Ben Paxman, who is recovering from a bad shoulder injury.
Leicester Lions are half-a-dozen places below Huddersfield having lost four of their opening seven games, but Hyde is eager to point out that means nothing, and they must not be under-estimated.
Last season Huddersfield lost 23-13 at Leicester, although the return fixture was not played as the original game at Lockwood Park was postponed because of the weather and, although it was re-arranged for late May, it was never played.
Huddersfield: Andrews; Ryder, L Paxman, Owen, Clark; Johnson, Hinchliffe; Battye, Morrill, Stringwell, Rhodes, Hinchliff, Lewis, Hoyle, Sharpe. Subs: Hyde, Davies, Entressengle, Duffy, Sutcliffe.
