To make matters worse, talented centre Henry Trinder misses out with an ankle problem and Jack Adams could also be absent with the hamstring strain that kept him out of last weekend’s narrow loss to Doncaster Knights.

Caves and Adams will be given as long as necessary to prove their fitness ahead of Sunday’s testing encounter.

“It certainly makes what was already a challenging game, more challenging,” said Smith.

“We will go up there and try and get as many components of our game right under intense pressure. If we can do that we will be in the game and could take something.”

Rather than focus on their last trip to one of the division’s top two – September’s 70-10 humiliation at Exeter Chiefs – Moseley will instead draw inspiration from their last trip to Headingley Carnegie, in October 2006, when they came within a last-minute Leigh Hinton penalty of a loss bonus.

Even though they were left empty-handed by a 37-27 defeat, Mose played superbly in the first half and built a 20-14 lead at the interval.

“That proves this team has it in it to go up there and get something,” Smith said.

“We swung the bat that day and if you do that you have a chance of hitting the ball.

“What we have to do on Sunday is stay in the game. If our scrum or line-out doesn’t work we need to find a way to stay in the game.

‘‘Do that and you can always come away with something.”

Smith must decide whether to call Ollie Atkinson back from loan at Fylde and whether to give Ben Buxton his first action of the season at loosehead.

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