Victory a must despite backs pain

The rugby club has lost four of its last five Kent One matches going into the visit from second-bottom Southwark Lancers. Kick-off at William Parker Sports College is 2.15pm.

“We’re very weak in our backs this week and that’s a bit of a concern,” said head coach Kevin Smith, whose absentees are set to include Ashley Diedericks and Ben Campbell. “But I feel that out of all the teams we’ve played this season, Southwark Lancers did not offer anything substantial in the backs as such.”

H&B’s slump in form, coupled with being fixtureless last weekend, has seen them drop 15 points off the pace in seventh.

“I’m looking to perform this week,” continued Smith, whose side was beaten 22-21 in October’s reverse fixture. “It’s another game where we didn’t live up to what we’ve promised and I felt the decisions that were going against us were ridiculous.”

Rye RFC, meanwhile, is likely to be without Henry Short for the next couple of weeks, following a head injury sustained in last weekend’s game with Newick.

Short suffered from concussion and was replaced at half time before going to hospital for routine checks. He should be one of the few absentees for the long trip to Holbrook tomorrow as Rye seek to make it three wins out of three since the turn of the year.

“We want to build on the momentum the victories have brought us,” vice-captain Gary Edmunds said. “After our good start, we dipped, but we’re on the up again now. A win against Holbrook would give us a decent gap against them, so it’s important.”

Holbrook sit two places behind Rye in sixth, and seven points separate the sides.