Boss James Webster hails Featherstone Rovers' attitude - but says they can get better

Three games into the Betfred Championship season, Rovers have a 100 per cent record and are top of the table.

They were due to meet the other unbeaten team, Toulouse Olympique, this weekend, but the game has been cancelled because of restrictions on travel to France during the pandemic.

“I am really happy with our attitude,” Webster said of how his side have performed in their opening fixtures.

“We are probably not hitting our strides with the ball the way we wanted to, but in saying that, I don’t think any team can play Champagne rugby for 25 weeks so I am not too concerned about that.

“We have got to be realistic that there’s going to be some big challenges for us this year and we have got to be ready to meet those, but at this stage, our attitude has been first class and that’s what I am happy with.”

Webster admitted he would rather be playing this weekend, particularly in a top of the table battle, but the postponement will allow some injured players time to recover.

“We did pick up some knocks last week so it will help us a little bit with those,” he said.

“But I would have been more than excited about playing against Toulouse.

“You want to play against the best teams.

“Toulouse are extremely strong and have been going really well and it would have been good to test ourselves and see where we’re at.

“But we don’t get the chance to do that, so we’ve got a week off and we’ll get ready for York after that.”

Webster said Brett Ferres, Kris Welham, Thomas Minns and Ben Blackmore picked up knocks in last Sunday’s 48-14 home win over Whitehaven, but all are expected to be available to face York.

Former Leeds Rhinos loan forward James Harrison has missed two games with a foot injury and is likely to be sidelined for another month.

Webster said: “The first scan said it could have been a really bad one - maybe season-ending - but it’s not as bad as that and we’re looking at another four weeks.

“It is a shame, because he has been going well, but that is the nature of the sport.”

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.