Rugby Union round-up: Sheffield target maximum points against basement club Burnage

The Abbeydale-based side won their first game since January and kept their slim play-off chances alive. They now sit fifth in the table, level on points with Firwood Waterloo, but 17 points behind second placed Wirral.

This weekend, Sheffield host bottom club Burnage, who have only managed to earn a total of 10 points from 20 games so far this season and are all but relegated.

Jason Soden, Sheffield’s director of rugby, said: “Cleckheaton played a very spoiling game, which we knew they would do but we still could not managed to open them up and play a more expansive game.

“They stopped us from doing that and it turned out to be a fairly boring game.

“We still managed to walk away with four points and we stopped them from getting a bonus point which was good for us as well.

“We are going to put out a strong side this week and hopefully rack up points on the board and get some valuable overall points difference from the game.

“I am hoping we will get a five point win but Burnage are no mugs and from our perspective we are going to take it exactly the same as we took every other game.

“When we get on top, we have to put our foot down and just keep going and going.

“Although we won on Saturday, we did not play our usual game we did not dictate the game and that is something we need to do this weekend. 
“It should be an easier game and we should get five points from the game, that is our aim and I’m not going to pretend it is any different.

“But you have to win the game first and foremost, then you can chase the bonus point and then the points difference.

“We are not getting complacent but we are planning on winning and winning well this week.”

Across the city, Tigers had no match to play at the weekend as only games held in hand were scheduled to be played. They once again have the weekend off whilst several other teams replay postponed games.

Tigers are one of the few fortunate teams not to suffer a cancelled game during the period of bad weather at the start of the year, and have to wait until March 19 until their next game when they host third-placed Lymm.