Dewsbury vs Rochdale: Rams looking to convert league form to Challenge Cup

The Rams enter the all-Championship fixture following two league wins from their opening two games, as well as a routine 38-8 victory over Ashton Bears in round two of rugby’s most famous knock-out competition.

Rochdale, led by former Batley Bulldogs head coach Gary Thornton, however, will be looking for an instant response after starting their own league campaign with a 10-20 defeat at home to highly-fancied Doncaster.

Finn said:

“We have been building now for a few weeks. It wasn’t perfect against Midlands but it was still good to get a pretty convincing win and give us a bit of confidence.

“It was nice to win at home. Everyone who was there on Sunday will have been happy with the performance and happy with the entertainment. Hopefully we can do it again against Rochdale.

“They’re a young team, so we need to be on our guard. They are not short on confidence and they run Doncaster pretty close and Doncaster are tipped to finish top. They are going to be a different challenge this week but we will be ready for them.”

Asked where he thought Rochdale’s major threat would come from, Fin responded:

“They have got a couple of big props in the middle who can carry the ball really strong and put a dint in you. They have also got an experienced half-back who has been around Championship level.

“They’ve got loads of enthusiasm, endeavour and have got a lot of team spirit over there. Gary’s pretty good at that - getting a group together. He has done it over a number of years, especially at Batley. They will be working hard for each other.”

Finn confirmed there will be changes to his side after a couple of players picked up knocks last weekend, including Matt Garside who will miss out due to the concussion protocol.

On the former Halifax Panthers star, Finn said:

“He has been outstanding in the first two and a half games. He has been one of our standout performers. He has brought a lot of experience, know-how and toughness to the group.”