With the upcoming campaign just 5 weeks away, Head Coach Andy Lawrence is encouraged with the attendances & effort being put into pre season training currently. There are a few new faces to integrate with the current & retained squad as Lawrence prepares his charges for the trip to Aireborough Rugby on 2nd September for the opening fixture, before the 1st home game against York RI on 9th September, kick off 3pm.
Commenting on the new laws around the tackle height Lawrence said, ‘ Player safety is paramount and adjustments over recent years to the rules and tackle heights have improved player safety and mitigated injuries compared to decades past, if this seasons incoming law changes further improves player safety, then we have to embrace it’.
Lawrence has also spoken about how he intends to coach the new laws, ‘ I think you still have to treat the tackle as a collision and the team that dominates the collision normally will gain the momentum which is all important in the modern game. The difference now is you must focus more on shifting the collision sideways which is how I would prefer to play anyway. Chop tackles need to become the default tackle were possible and chop tackles focus more on stopping the legs than the ball and upper body. I will be focusing on the waist area because contact here means you can still control and dominate the collision, any lower you are still effective but less dominant.
I do have concerns that this isn’t always possible, and I can only hope that referees take a sensible approach with their interpretation because yellow card after yellow card will quickly ruin a contest’.
When asked about his hopes for the coming season Lawrence said, ‘We are aiming for more consistency and ultimately a top 4 finish this season. We are working on a style and a system that will make for an entertaining brand of rugby that people will want to come up and watch. I want the boys to play with confidence, freedom and a belief in themselves and each other. There is a fine line between playing like this and not taking unnecessary risks and that’s where the experience within the squad becomes an advantage’, before adding, ‘This year’s pre-season feels different, we are hitting the ground running and now the boys know me and I know them we can get straight to work. We have had good numbers up at pre-season with more to come and I am really proud of the culture we are building, new faces are welcomed and treated as team mates straight away’.
The club are also excited to announce the appointment of assistant Coach to our very ownMichael Hartley.
Mikey Hartley. Mikey is a hugely positive addition to this years coaching team and will be important at trainings whenever possible and the match day team management. Mikey will be very important in the development of our young forwards and will take on an additional role of match day “referee liaison officer”.
Mikey suffered a traumatic leg break in the last league fixture against Halifax last season and is still recovering.the prospects of returning to the playing field is unclear and I think we can all agree it is fantastic to see him still involved in the game where he can add huge amounts of value. We look forward and wish Mikey all the best in this venture.
