Nottingham Head Coach Neil Fowkes has stressed the main focus ahead of Saturday’s clash away to Doncaster Knights.
Fowkes says his team must take control of the game and play at their pace, without letting the home side dictate how the Green and Whites play.
He said: “We watched their Newcastle game and they’re incredibly physical. They want to come out and impose themselves on the game, set-piece wise and with the ball so we’ve got to go out and play at our own tempo and our own speed.
“We’ve got to make sure we look after our own performance and show Doncaster the respect they deserve.”
Doncaster strengthened their squad significantly in the Summer, and made a handful of signings in-season too with the likes of Wian Conradie and Dan Suter joining the Knights.
“They’ve got a big budget and some good players who will want to get them out of that ten spot,” said Fowkes. “Going to Castle Park will never be easy so we need to get our performance right and give ourselves the opportunity to get in the right areas of the park then strike.”
Fowkes continued: “Doncaster have got quality throughout their side and they’ve had a few injuries which means they’ve been limited in the backs but a side coached by Clive Griffiths and Steve Boden will never be pushovers.
“They’ll be aggressive and in your face and they’ll want to dominate at home. They’ve got some big game players in there as well.
“What we’ve got to do is get in to our own game and not let the game get slowed down.”