Pip McIntosh wants 80 minutes of effort from CSU

CSU will aim to break a run of four consecutive Central West Rugby Union defeats tomorrow afternoon, but will have to work hard to do it against the powerful Dubbo Kangaroos at University Oval.

In each of their defeats over the past month, the students have been respectable. 

There have been no major blow-outs, leads at some point almost every game and a particularly impressive display in their last game against Orange Emus where they led at half-time before being kept scoreless in the second period and losing 39-17.

But if CSU are to press for a finals spot, honourable losses are no good anymore.

The lone positives they can take from such performances are all coach Pip McIntosh wants his team to take forward into the Dubbo game.

“I’ve made it clear all along, we’re here to win, not to be competitive,” he said.

“But I do want them to remember from the Emus game that we were matching the premiers, arguably the best team in the competition, for the first hour of that game.

“This is a really good team and I just want to see one good 80 minute performance from them at their best, that will get them going I think.

“They can take from the Emus match that they know beyond doubt that their best football is good enough, they know how good they can be. I want them to play like it for a full game now.”

’Roos are three from four, their only defeat coming in a dour affair against Mudgee, so they must be considered among the biggest threats to Emus.

However, Dubbo’s strengths in the forward pack don’t give them the sort of edge they might have had over CSU in the last two years.

Past editions of the students’ team had massive deficiencies both in the scrum and in the middle of the ground in general.

In 2016 none of those frailties have been particularly evident.

“Our pack has worked its butt off to become more competitive in the set pieces and the scrums,” McIntosh said.

“It is showing every week against these traditionally bigger sides who try and test us out.

“Our line-out does need some work, it is a weakness at the moment, but I think we can fix it.

“Dubbo are always a strong team in their pack, but we’ve matched the likes of Emus, Orange City and Forbes for most of the contest in that part of the field, so it would be nice to do that again.”

The main injury concern for CSU revolves around vastly improved tight-head prop Jack McKenna, who rolled an ankle at training on Tuesday night.

Elsewhere CSU will welcome back centre Chad Ashton, who’s return allows damaging number 8 Paul Lasalo to move back to his preferred position and in turn, moving Josh Arrow to the side of the scrum at breakaway.

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3.15pm.

CSU: 1 Jack McKenna, 2 James Pizzie, 3 Michael Coates, 4 Angus Hombsch, 5 Charlie McIntosh, 6 Josh Arrow, 7 Tom Greenaway, 8 Paul Lasalo, 9 Josh Gemmell, 10 Jack Keppel, 11 TBA, 12 Dom Huggett, 13 Chad Ashton, 14 Lachlan Robinson, 15 Cam Backhouse.