NRC Preview: Sheffield v Whitehaven

Sunday 13th February – 3pm

Sheffield Eagles pair Misi Taulapapa and Quentin Laulu-Togagae are still waiting for UK entry visa, but Sheffield coach Mark Aston is likely to make some changes in his pack for Sunday’s visit of Whitehaven.

Prop Ryan Hepworth is likely to start as Aston attempts to monitor all his squad after opting not to play any pre-season friendlies.

Sheffield won 32-20 at Gateshead last week. Aston said: “We looked a bit rusty at times, but we were strong and big for the first 20 minutes.”

Whitehaven coach David Seeds is demanding a noticeable improvement in on-field discipline from his squad. Whitehaven lost 28-18 against Workington on Tuesday night, but it was the alarming number of penalties they conceded that most concerned Seeds.

He said: “We set off poorly on Tuesday night. If we’d taken our opportunities then we might have been able to get back in it.”

“However, we conceded 21 penalties against Workington, so that’s clearly a big issue we need to sort out, because the more we have the ball in hand, the better we’re going to be.”

Seeds is likely to name a similar team after his side suffered no major injuries against Workington.

“Travelling to Sheffield is a tough one, especially on the back of Tuesday night,” he said. “We have to rally quickly and just worry about ourselves.”