DARYL Powell says Warrington Wolves’ grasp of “the very basics of rugby league” will be tested by Huddersfield Giants this afternoon.
Both sides are aiming to avoid a third straight defeat at the John Smith’s Stadium but have had significantly different campaigns to this point.
Listen to more from Daryl Powell in our match preview podcast here
While The Wire have performed well below expectations to sit in 10th, Huddersfield have arguably been this year’s surprise package in Super League.
Having reached the Challenge Cup Final earlier this year, Ian Watson's side are also on-track for a top-four spot.
In his pre-match press conference (CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL), Powell outlined the kind of test he expects from Ian Watson’s side.
“It’s a test of resilience,” he said.
“They complete higher than any other team in the competition and their kicks make you come out of corners.
“They’re a structured team with some little tricky bits in there, and they’re pretty durable.
“You have to be able to handle what they’re going to do to you and do something similar back in terms of completing high and kicking the ball well.
“You need to be very good in the very basics of rugby league against Huddersfield.”
Ian Watson has guided Huddersfield to the brink of a top four spot in Super League and the Challenge Cup Final this year. Picture by SWPix.com
Despite another defeat last time out, Wire’s situation in terms of the gap to both the top six and the bottom of the table remains unchanged.
They remain four points adrift of Salford Red Devils – the side now occupying sixth spot – and as many clear of bottom side Wakefield Trinity.
Rather than focus on closing or extending gaps, however, Powell has urged his side to focus on what is immediately in front of them.
“We’ve been saying for way too many weeks that this next game is a pivotal one.
“I’m pretty keen on focusing on one game at a time at the moment but three or four weeks ago, we were four points outside the six.
“We’re still four points outside the six, but I’m not too worried about that at the moment.
“I’m more concerned about taking it one game at a time and getting our performance right for 80 minutes.
“We are getting performances for 50-60 minutes and we’ve got to steel ourselves to make sure that when we do get hit with something, we don’t completely collapse.
“We need to be more resilient with our performances over 80 minutes. We’ve shown some really good signs but not for long enough.”
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