By Coventry Telegraph
February 15 2008

Third-placed Rugby Lions travel to Hull Ionians tomorrow intent on keeping the pressure on the side immediately above them in the National Division Three North table. Runaway leaders Tynedale are all but home and dry with a 20-point gap over Leicester Lions, who in turn are currently eight points clear of their namesakes - a deficit which Mark Ellis, Rugby's director of rugby, believes his side can eat into.

"I don't think we can really afford to lose any more games if we want to be close to Leicester at the end of the season," said Ellis, "but five of their eight remaining games are away from home and they have some tough ones.

"We do as well, but if we can hit 80 points it is going to be close and there is still a bit more to happen yet.

"What we have to do is win our away games and make sure we get the maximum five points un the four home games we have left.

"It's out of our hands to a large extent, and the only pressure on our players is to go out, enjoy it and express themselves."

ions, who beat Ionians 32-24 at Webb Ellis Road in October, overcame stubborn resistance from Morley last week to record their eighth successive home win, 27-19.

Added Ellis: "We were only average in the first half, but we had a purple patch in the second half when we scored 19 points in ten or 12 minutes playing at our best and they couldn't live with us.

"No team in the world could keep that up for a whole game, and the trick is getting that in longer bursts. We're working hard to try to get that consistency."

Lions make one change to their starting side with Chris Murphy on the wing in place of unavailable Ade Hales, the side's leading try scorer on 11. Second row James Wadey returns on the bench.

Rugby Lions: Hawken; Murphy, Clarke, Viggers, Rust; Warner, Handley; Greenbury, Overton, Tyers, Riding, Cheney, Nash, Prosser-Shaw, Brady. Reps: Glackin, Wati, Price, Wadey.

Lions 'must keep going'

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 15/02/2008 16:46

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
15/02/2008 16:46

Lions 'must keep going'

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