Born Red, Live Red, Die Red: Halifax V Salford Red Devil’s DITD BIG MATCH PREVIEW

Halifax RLFC vs Salford Red Devils

Super League Qualifiers – The Shay - Sunday 2nd September 3:00PM

The Red Devils are two from two from The Qualifiers and have looked impressive against both their opponents so far. Sunday’s visit to Halifax RLFC will pose a different challenge as Salford play their first Championship side of the competition.

After squeezing into 4th place in the Championship table by a single point from Featherstone Rovers and Leigh Centurions, The Fax were the surprise package of the Championship. Unfortunately, their results so far mean that with two losses from two (against Toronto and Toulouse) they sit at the foot of the Qualifiers table.

Head to Head

Salford’s last 3 head to heads against Halifax have all resulted in victories:

5th September 2015: Halifax 28- 50 Salford

31st July 2008: Halifax 18-36 Salford

27th June 2008: Salford 30-24 Halifax

Form

As you can see, running through the Head to Heads shows that history at least as well as current form is on the side of the Red Devils. However, the history part at least will count for little when Salford take the field this weekend in West Yorkshire. Many teams have found Halifax at home an extremely tough proposition, Fax having only lost twice all season at home, both times to runaway leaders Toronto Wolfpack.

Salford meanwhile in Super League having only picked up two wins all season away from home, the second coming just three weekends and two matches ago, against Hull KR. It’s imperative therefore that Ian Watson’s men concentrate on current form to ensure they come away with 2 more Qualifier points in the race for Super League safety.

With 3 wins from their last 3 games though, as well as being the Super League team, Salford will start as firm favourites for this tie.

Coaches

Fax Coach Richard Marshall will be keen to lock horns with Devil’s coach Ian Watson, having briefly crossed paths back at Swinton in the 2006 season as players.

With both men also having their first forays into coaching with their current clubs and both starting their managerial careers in 2015, there are many similarities between them. However, personal battles aside, both coaches will acknowledge that 2 points from this match will be all that matters at full time.

Focus on: Halifax

Halifax’s Marshall has highlighted several areas of importance in the build up to the game:

Intensity: In Fax’s last game against Toulouse, the coach believed that the squad lacked some intensity and ultimately it’s what cost them the game. This will be an area against the Red Devil’s he believes his side wont come up short in, again.

Attack: The pack and defence are areas he believes is already strong, however in the last couple of games, the attacking areas have been lacking, particularly when putting pressure on the goal line. The coach has clearly worked on these areas during the week and the spare weekend for the cup final, so Salford will have to be ready to face a well drilled attack.

Kicking: In the last couple of games, Halifax have been guilty of not following up their good kicking with kick chases. Marshall suggested in some cases the chases have been non-existent, so this will be an area that has been focussed on ahead of Sunday. Steve Tyrer Halifax’s main goal kicker and an experienced player is injured so could be a crucial loss ahead of the game.

Focus on: Salford

Attitude: Red Devil’s Coach Ian Watson has focussed on attitude during the extra week of training and to make sure that the professionalism of his side during the rest of the games of the qualifiers remains high. There is clearly no room for complacency in his side and the coach has announced a strong looking 19 for the trip across the Pennines to West Yorkshire.

Pivots: The difference in this game could come from the play makers in the middle of the Salford side. Watson hailed the trio of Evalds, Lui and Hastings as possibly the best pivots and playmakers in Super League on current form, during the televised victory against Widnes. This will give those players added confidence that he is placing so much praise on them.

Watson has always been quick to emphasise the importance of the team over the individuals, but in Hastings he is managing a player who is on top of his form and clearly enjoying his rugby. This is releasing Rob Lui from being the main playmaker, giving him more time on the ball and allowing him to express himself.

With the return of Evalds at full back towards the end of the regular season completing the pivots, Watson can call on a number of players to make the big decisions at key times and areas of the match.

Therefore, there should be no reason not to think that this week’s clash over in West Yorkshire will be anything but a good performance, a good Salford victory and two more precious points toward Super League for 2019.

Come on Salford!

Pictures by Steve McCormick

Preview by Richard Lowe