On the back of their impressive Yorkshire Cup win, Huddersfield RU will turn their attention to a tough league trip over the moors.
The Field, fresh from beating Sheffield 39-7 at Lockwood Park last weekend, will aim to make it eight wins in a row against Ilkley, and Lewis is pleased about how his side has started the season.
“Reflecting on last week’s victory, it was certainly a good second-hand performance,” said Lewis. “But we must approach these games with the right mentality, as the first half performance lacked the intensity required and we failed to stick to the game plan. I must give credit to the lads though as seven consecutive wins is a very pleasing start.”
“That being said, we have achieved nothing yet and we will have some very tough challenges coming our way, starting with Ilkley this weekend. They have won four of the opening six league games so are a very strong side and we will need to be at our best to get the victory.”
Ilkey sit eighth in the National North Three table but find themselves only four points off second place, and they will look to bounce back after a narrow 34-22 loss to Rossendale before having last weekend off. Lewis said:
“They have a fantastic set up and are well coached by Rhys Morgan actually coached me when I was at Halifax. They have some exceptional individuals within their team and it’s something we need to be fully aware of.”
Lewis has also made some changes to his team after the cup win, and the head coach has backed his decisions. He said:
“We believe we have selected a strong team and there are one or two disappointed lads. But they know they will be required again and are hungry for the shirts. It’s very much about the collective effort of the squad.”
Frances Entressengle returns at hooker after a back injury whilst Lewis Workman returns at full back. Ben Hoyle also returns on the bench following a rest against Sheffield.
Meanwhile, Callum Thompson makes his first start at loose head prop whilst Ben Morrill drops to the bench.
