Naas Look For Improvement
Following the disappointment of last weekend’s away loss to Belfast Harlequins in the AIB Cup, Naas will be hoping to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they host Midleton in their AIB League Division 3 opener at Forenaughts (kick-off 2.30pm).
Naas head coach Andy Wood says his side will need to make immediate improvements if they are to take the scalp of the Cork outfit after last Saturday’s crushing 32-10 AIB Cup defeat.
“It is the little things we need to improve on,” he told IrishRugby.ie.
“We take steps forward and then there are other things we need to work on. We are getting there and come what may we are really going to have to improve this weekend.”
And Wood revealed that he will be making some changes to the starting line-up for tomorrow’s home tie.
“There will be one or two changes, maybe three guys, but we are very close to our starting side.”
The New Zealander expects visitors Midleton to be a formidable force. They will also be seeking to bounce back from defeat, following a three-point loss to UCD in the AIB Cup.
The sides met at Towns Park in Division 3 last March, with the Corkmen claiming a 28-11 win.
“They are very ambitious and we want to be up in that bracket,” Wood added.
“Midleton are traditionally very good scrummaging players, and we are going to have a tough task on our hands to try and combat that.
“I was happy with our first half against Harlequins where our scrum dominated, so hopefully we can put in a good performance in that area against Midleton.”
Wood, who coached Clontarf most recently before linking up with Naas, is happy to have a home game on Saturday, which will be an extra boost for his side.
“If we can get the performance, then we can get the points.
“If we keep tweaking and tweaking, we can get things right. It’s just the tiny things that keep letting us down but if we work on them, we’ll get them right.”