CHRIS HOUGH believes Waterhead Amateur Rugby League Club, with four straight victories under their belts, can do even better.
Waterhead were unbeaten in May defeating local rivals Oldham St Annes and Leigh East in the second division of the Kingstone Press National Conference League while last Saturday they recorded an emphatic 54-22 victory against Ovenden in the Challenge Trophy.
Coach Hough remarked: “We are playing some good rugby, but we can do ever better.
“I just wish I could play the same side every week, but that’s summer rugby for you.”
Hough is also delighted with the spirit shown by his players as they had to battle from behind to beat both St Annes and Leigh East.
And he says that has been epitomised by back-row Darren Nixon who has scored six tries in his last three matches.
Waterhead lad Nixon, switched this season from centre to the pack, scored a hat trick of touchdowns as his side wiped out a 12-0 deficit to win their local derby 21-16.
Nixon, who once had a short spell as a pro at Keighley, also scored a late try, which was converted by Jamie Mayall, as Waterhead snatched a 18-16 victory against Leigh East.
He also scored in the victory against Ovenden who Waterhead play away on Saturday, June 7th in the league.
Hough says his players are turning out with smiles on their faces and enjoying their rugby.
He explained: “My challenge at the start of the season was for the players to enjoy their rugby which they weren’t doing at the back end of last season.
“Winning becomes a habit just as losing does and the young players are getting more experience while the senior ones have stepped up their games and it is playing dividends.”
Hough has been pleased with the contributions from loose forward Danny Maher and Mayall who are both recruits from Rugby Union.
Waterhead’s reward for beating Ovenden in the Challenge Trophy is a plum home tie against top premier division side Wigan St Pats which will provide a tough examination.
Meanwhile, Saddleworth Rangers’ coach Shane Tupaea insists his side has the talent to turn things around after a pointless run in a miserable May was capped with a cup defeat.
The team is one place outside the National Conference League One relegation zone after failing to pick up any points in the division since April 12.
There was a further blow as Rangers were knocked out of the NCL Challenge Trophy on May 31 after suffering a last-gasp 20-18 first-round defeat at home to Bradford Dudley Hill.
Tupaea admitted: “It’s bitterly disappointing and the lads deserve better. It was the last play of the game and that has happened to us three times now.
“Sometimes we played right into their hands and did some crazy things that we would never do in training so I don’t know why we did it on the pitch.
“But then we produced some great rugby, too, and the commitment was there so we’ve just got to work on a few things.”
Despite claiming only one win in their last seven games, Tupaea admitted he is encouraged by the closeness of most of their results as well as his team’s attitude in training.
He said: “We’re a young side so we’ve got to persevere and hopefully we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve got some quality players coming back too, who we’ve really missed.
“We really took the match to Eccles and had a great go at them in the first half before the game was called off. Hopefully we can recreate that in the replay and other games.
“There are certain things we’ve been working on in training but for some reason we’re not putting that into practice on the park so we’ll be looking at that.
“If we get three wins we’ll be back up in the top five or six and still in with a chance of the play-offs so we’re in a strange situation at the moment.”
Rangers next travel to Dewsbury Celtic on June 14 before welcoming Myton Warriors on June 21 and then visiting Normanton Knights a week later.
Tupaea added: “It will be a few tough games but we always aim to win, even when we’re travelling, so we’ll give it our best.”
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