Match Preview

Sandbach enter the Lion’s Den when they make the long journey to Solstice Park on Saturday, for their Midlands League clash. Peterborough Lions have been there or there abouts in the promotion race for a few seasons now, backed very much by the support of their Chairman Andy Moore and currently lie second in the League. Following the departure of the former Northampton player Darren Fox as player coach to Cambridge, the Lions have now replaced him with the veteran hooker Vili Ma’asi. A few of the Sandbach boys may remember the former Tongan World Cup Captain from his days at Ampthill, when we played them five years ago. The coach has brought with him a couple of other players Tongan players, including his own son Sitanilei Tei Semisi and the centre has certainly been seeing plenty of the try line.

Sandbach are on a good run of form themselves though, having won the last seven games in a row and have a decent record against the Lions over the years. Having rested a number of players over the last couple of weeks, by utilising the squad, Sandbach’s own International coaches Rob Webber and Byron McGuigan will have some difficult choices, when they select the team to travel. Sandbach do however recognise that they will need to match up first to the physical confrontation that the Lions always present, but know that they have an all-round game that can trouble any side in the League, when they get it right. Will have to see if that game is good enough, to tame the Lions.