Lions look to repeat win over top dogs

RUGBY LIONS travel to the north east tomorrow intent on putting a second dent in Tynedale's runaway progress to the National Division Three North title. The 22-10 scoreline at Webb Ellis Road in November remains the only league defeat suffered by the leaders this season and although Lions' director of rugby Mark Ellis fully expects a backlash, he is backing his side to spring an upset.

"We are looking at it as another game of rugby on a piece of grass," said Ellis. "We will go out to enjoy ourselves, and If we have one of our on days, we will beat them again.

"We never looked like losing down here and should probably have scored a couple more tries, but we do know that every time we make a mistake they will punish us. We gave them two chances and they took them both, they are very clinical - which has been one of our down points - so we can't give them the opportunities.

"We know it is going to be extremely hard and they will be out to put things straight, but obviously we are looking forward to it and in a sense we have nothing to lose."

Shaun Brady returns from injury at No.8 with Stuart Riding reverting to the second row, and scrum-half Toby Handley, prop Phil Greenbury and hooker Sam Overton all come back into the starting line-up from the team that beat Beverley last week.

Rugby Lions: Hawken; Murphy, Goode, Viggers, Hales; Glackin, Handley; Greenbury, Overton, Siveter, Wadey, Riding, Nash, Prosser-Shaw, Brady