Smith wants to claim Rams bragging rights against Batley

Dewsbury prop Byron Smith is looking forward to clashing with some familiar faces when the Rams play local rivals Batley at the Summer Bash in Blackpool this weekend.

The Welsh international played for Batley player last year, before switching to the Rams in the close season.

“Up until this season I’ve always been on the other side,” he said.

“I suppose whatever club you’re at, you want to win when you play against an old club. You want to show up well against your old team-mates and fans as well.

“There’s a long standing rivalry between the two teams. We have a friendly against each other on Boxing Day and in all the league games there’s always a little bit of added extra incentive to get one over on them.”

Dewsbury have already triumphed once over the Bulldogs in 2015, but Smith feels that the occasion means form goes out of the window in Blackpool.

“I don’t think we can take anything from the previous win, we take things on a game-by-game basis,” he said.

“Batley are a little bit lower than us in the league but not a million miles away. They’re a team we need to respect because they’re a good side, as they showed against Widnes in the Challenge Cup at the weekend – they pushed them really close.

“I don’t think any of the boys will be thinking back to the previous game against them. They know they will have to put in a good performance to get the result we want.

“Hopefully the crowds will be a bit bigger than what you’d normally get and it’s a neutral venue so it should make the atmosphere a little more charged.”