Casuarina skipper lays down the law in lead-up to Round 2 clash against reigning NTRU premier

CASUARINA must turn up mentally and physically for tonight’s NT Rugby Union clash against reigning premier University.

NT Rugby

CASUARINA must turn up mentally and physically for tonight’s NT Rugby Union clash against reigning premier University.

The Cougars had to call on all of their physical reserves to beat Palmerston last week, a result that has prompted first-year captain Bobby Nurse to issue a wake-up call to his players.

“We basically just have to turn up, mentally and physically, if we are to play our best rugby against a very good side in University,’’ he said.

“There were way too many errors against Palmerson, most of which resulted in penalties to the opposition and we can’t afford that against the Pirates.’’

University ran in 76 points in their win over new boys the Swampdogs last week, a statistic Nurse does not need reminding about.

“Concentration and making maximum use of the ball when in possession are going to be keys for us,’’ Nurse said.

“Win the ball in the forwards and spread it wide to the flankers and be effective when making tackles when they’re in possession.’’

Last year’s runners-up South Darwin will be aiming for back-to-back wins when they tackle the Swampdogs on the No. 2 ground.

Rabbitohs skipper Setefano Cakau will be a major headache for the Swampdogs after showing some of his brilliance with two tries and a well-timed pass to a teammate for another.

The Palmerston-Darwin Dragons matchup looms as the match of the round with both sides showing enough in defeat last week to almost guarantee a game of twists and turns.