Brown focused on Rhinos test
11th March 2010Huddersfield Giants Head Coach Nathan Brown has admitted that his side possess the confidence and belief to take on 3-times champions Leeds Rhinos this Sunday (3pm) at the Galpharm Stadium in the Engage Super League Round 6 encounter.
The Giants go into the game on the back of a superb 52-0 defeat of Wakefield Wildcats and Brown insists that his players have the confidence and belief to topple Brian McClennan’s men.
“Nobody will be getting carried away, Wakefield are a good side but Leeds Rhinos have been the champions for the last three seasons and they have a side that is full of International players. It is sure to be a good challenge but I think we will have taken confidence out of our performance last weekend.
“This time last year we played Leeds at around a similar time (a 36-4 defeat at the Galpharm Stadium) and at that point I don’t think we quite had the belief that we could beat them, whereas this time we have genuine belief that we are in with a chance of turning them over. That doesn’t mean it will necessarily be the case, but having that belief is a good sign that we are moving forward as a club.”
Although the Rhinos have had an up and down start to 2010 by their high standards, a 62-4 demolition of Harlequins last week coupled with a narrow loss to Melbourne Storm in the World Club Challenge suggest they are getting back to their best, something Brown acknowledges.
“They have had a bit of a mixed start but having watched their performance in the World Club Challenge against Melbourne Storm they really lifted the intensity in that fixture. I saw a few of their games prior to that and they seemed to be doing just enough to get through with the win, whereas against Melbourne they really stepped up and last week they had a convincing win against Harlequins. Everyone knows the talent within their squad, they have been successful for a long time and if we are to win the game we will have to put in a top performance.”
Brown admits that this week has seen his side concentrate on building their performances from the opening five rounds, with the intention to continue the improvements made so far.
“This week is about us improving on what we are trying to do rather than worrying about our opposition. They have had a settled roster for a couple of years now and we are quite aware of what they are capable of doing. It’s about us doing a good job defensively for long periods and in attack building on our first five weeks. If we do that and keep improving then we will give ourselves a chance.”