Hornets looking to bounce back

Alan Kilshaw, head coach of Rochdale Hornets

Rochdale Hornets will be looking for a response from their first defeat of the season last week, as they welcome Gloucestershire All Golds to Spotland on Sunday.

After winning their first six games they met the also unbeaten York City Knights in the quarter finals of the iPro Sport Cup, and it was the Knights who kept their 100% record with a 40-16 win to progress to the last four.

“We were poor on the day and made a lot of errors and beat ourselves,” admitted head coach Alan Kilshaw.

“The senior players who played are hurting a little bit and will be looking to rectify that with a response this weekend.”

Hornets have won all three of their league games so far this season and they currently sit top of the Kingstone Press League One table, and face an improved outfit in All Golds.

“Gloucester are a good side,” continued Kilshaw, “they’re a very dangerous team with ball in hand.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re turning the ball over on our terms and not giving them that opportunity to attack our goal line because they are certainly a team who can punish you.”

All Golds booked their place in the last four of the iPro Sport Cup last week with an impressive 36-28 win over Newcastle Thunder, but have managed only one win in the league so far in 2016.

Last time these sides met was at the Prince of Wales Stadium where Hornets ran out 38-18 winners, with tries from current Hornets Paul Crook (2), Danny Yates, Dale Bloomfield and James Tilley.

On the two occasions that Gloucestershire have visited Spotland they have shipped over 70 points in each game, and Rochdale have won all four of the meetings between the clubs.

Halfback Crook has featured in three of those victories and has scored every time he has faced the southern outfit, racking up 62 points with four tries and 23 goals.

Hornets will be without prop forward Samir Tahraoui, as he is serving a one game ban, however Mike Ratu is set to feature for the first time since September last year. The centre picked up a shoulder injury at Barrow Raiders in the penultimate game of the 2015 season, and his inclusion is a welcome boost to the Hornets.

Wide man Dale Bloomfield is also likely to make a return from an ankle injury, and James Tilley is a possibility following a shoulder injury.