CO-OPERATIVE RUGBY LEAGUE CONFERENCE PREMIERSHIP, MIDLANDS DIVISION
Wednesday 23 July 2008
Preview for the final round
‘Pride’ is the key word for the Gloucestershire Warriors as they end their 2008 Co-operative Rugby League Conference Midlands Division campaign against title hopefuls Coventry Bears this Saturday (kick off 2.30pm).
After last week’s defeat by Bedford Tigers, the Warriors cannot now make the play-offs and will be playing for pride only against a side who need the win to stand a chance of pipping Nottingham Outlaws for top spot in the table.
“We said after last week’s game that this match would be a chance for us to go out and enjoy ourselves, relax and play the rugby I know we can,” said Warriors coach Tom James. “In every game this season with the possible exception of Nottingham away we have played really well in patches and worried teams but we haven’t done it consistently enough to finish higher up the table. This week we have a chance to do that with no pressure.”
The Bears are chasing top spot and need the points at Chosen Hill to stand a chance of repeating last season’s finish. They also need Birmingham Bulldogs to upset the formbook and defeat the Nottingham Outlaws who lost their unbeaten record last weekend to the Bears to set up a nailbiting last round of games.
Earlier in the season, the Bears beat the Warriors 48-28 in Coventry but had to come from behind to do it as the Warriors turned a 14-4 deficit into a 22-14 lead in the space of ten minutes either side of halftime. That kind of performance confirms James’ words and ensures there is a chance of victory for the Warriors. “We showed at Coventry that we could worry them and score points and we did the same last season as well,” said James referring to the Warriors’ 30-16 defeat in 2007. “We need more consistency during games which only comes with the players training together and playing together. It’s no coincidence that the best teams do this and if we are to be up among them then we need to do it as well.”
The game is at Chosen Hill FP RFC, Brookfield Road and kicks off at 2.30pm on Saturday. The referee is Melvin Bettridge.
Nottingham Outlaws will be hoping to bounce back from their first defeat of the season last weekend to beat Birmingham Bulldogs and take top spot in the table and with it home advantage in the Division Final on 16 August. Having defeated Birmingham earlier in the campaign, they will be confident of success but the Bulldogs are a tough side to break down and it won’t be an easy ride for them.
In the day’s other match, Derby City wind up their season with a home clash against Bedford Tigers at Haslams. While City have enjoyed only fleeting success this season, the Tigers are heading for the play-offs in their first campaign at this level. They will be a tough side to beat but will also be up against it having to play all their play-off games away from home. It is a challenge they are relishing however, and will be looking to go into the play-offs with a second consecutive win under their belts.
WARRIORS MILESTONES
Marcus Brown’s try for the Warriors at Bedford was his first for the club and was also the Warriors’ 50th try of the season.
Neys Schreiner and Simeon Whitter also scored their first tries for the Warriors on debut at Bedford.
Stephan Fourie leads the Warriors try-scoring charts with eight. He has also kicked eight goals and needs just two points for a half century this season. His 48 points make him the Warriors leading pointscorer this season. Ben Hough, with nine, is the Warriors’ most successful goalkicker.
WEST MIDLANDS MEET THE SOUTH AT CHOSEN HILL
On Sunday 27 July, the West Midlands rugby league side will take on the South at Chosen Hill FP RFC (kick off 2.30pm). The game marks the first outing for the West Midlands side for a number of years and it is hoped that it will be the first step on the road towards a regional competition next summer.
The encounter is also part of the selection process for the South of England side that will take on the North in the Origin game later this summer. The South have won all three Origin encounters so far and will not be wanting to suffer defeat this year.
Coaches Dom Swann for the Midlands and Glenn Tyreman for the South have selected large squads to cope with the inevitable fall out from the league games played the previous day and there are some exciting players on show with plenty of local interest with six Warriors in the West Midlands squad. Alan Bryan, Danny Burke, Ben Constantine, Stephan Fourie, Ronnie Haines and Danny Price have been among the most consistent performers in the red, black and white and deserve their selection.
FORMER WARRIOR BACK IN SUPER LEAGUE
Former Cheltenham Warriors rugby league forward Jordan James will be back in the Super League in 2009 following the RFL’s decision to award the Celtic Crusaders and Salford City Reds franchises for the 2009-11 seasons yesterday.
James, who was introduced to the game in Cheltenham before joining the Army and then turning professional with Sheffield Eagles, previously played in the Super League with Wigan Warriors during the 2006 season.
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Chris Wilson
Media Manager, Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC
Tel: +44 (0)1684 850903
Mobile: + 44 (0)7905 931033
Email: gloswarriors2004@aol.com
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The Gloucestershire Rugby League is an organisation for local rugby league clubs in Gloucestershire. Our main activity currently is to promote rugby league through the County and give useful information about our sport to the public of Gloucestershire.
