Gordon v Warringah

Warringah came from behind to claim its second win of the season over West Harbour last week and will take confidence into Saturday’s clash.

The Rats will be without flyhalf Hamish Angus, who’s replaced by Josh Gillard.

Gordon coach Geoff Townsend was disappointed not to get the points against Manly, but was thrilled with his side’s performance.

“We now have a belief that we can go the distance with the best sides and to be honest, I think we deserved something out of that game,” Townsend told Rugby News.

He wants to see a similar performance against Warringah.

“We need to be on our game, they have game breakers throughout their team.”

 Northern Suburbs v Sydney University

Sydney Uni returned to form last week with a dominant performance against Souths. The Students retained the ball brilliantly throughout the match and made the Rebels pay for their ill discipline and lack of execution.

“It shows that when we stick to our structures and hold onto the ball, we can play some really good footy,” halfback Jake Gordon said.

Uni meet a Norths side with plenty of wind in its sails after claiming four wins from its opening five matches.

21 year-old flyhalf Josh Kay was brilliant with 21 points in his sides 31-10 win over Easts last week, but knows the challenge will be much tougher on Saturday against the Students.

“You always feel more pressure against Sydney Uni no matter what,” Kay said.

“They have been the benchmark for the last 10 years or so and have quality players across the park, we’re hoping for a very big crowd this weekend.”

Video: We chat to both camps ahead of Saturday’s clash – https://rugbynews.net.au/rd6-match-preview-norths-v-sydney-uni/

Manly v Southern Districts

They say good sides are those that can play poorly yet still win and Manly did just that against Gordon last week.

“I guess after last weeks below par performance, we are really looking at our own game and how we can get back to the way we played against Uni,” Manly coach Damien Cummins said.

He wants his side to slow down the Souths forwards and to try and avoid the Manly Oval cricket pitch at all costs.

Rebels captain Jed Holloway has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and will be missed in a Souths pack that were disappointing against Uni last week.

Assistant coach Jim Williams is expecting a tough battle up front.

“They are just as big, just as physical and just as talented (as Sydney Uni). It’s a tough road trip for us to Manly and we will need to aim up if we are any chance of matching them for the entire 80 minutes.”

Penrith v Eastwood

Penrith came close to claiming the upset of the season against Randwick last week after trailing by just four points midway through the second half.

Despite that, coach Teki Tuipulotu isn’t content with coming close and said his side was disappointed by the result.

Whilst the challenge gets a whole lot tougher this weekend, the Emus will take plenty of confidence out of last weeks performance.

“We need to try and disrupt Eastwood’s rhythm, defend well and make the most of our opportunities,” Tuipulotu said.

Eastwood fullback Ben Batger is just 16 points short of becoming the clubs all time leading point scorer and will be eager to achieve the milestone this Saturday.

John Manenti has named an unchanged side to take on the Emus and wants to see his side stop the Penrith ball carriers and control possession.

Hear more on the progress at Penrith – https://rugbynews.net.au/shute-shield-undermanned-emus-back-to-square-one

Randwick v Eastern Suburbs

One of the Shute Shield’s most fierce rivalries gets a whole lot more interesting in 2015, doubling as the NSW Country Eagles (NRC) derby.

Easts coach Darren Coleman and Randwick mentor Shannon Fraser worked side by side through the NRC, with both coaches desperate to claim bragging rights.

The Galloping Greens were disappointing against Penrith but still managed to win and take a 4-1 record into the derby.

Easts on the other hand are 1-4 and will need to get their season on track without Jono Lance and Will Patterson.

“We need to improve our execution, hold and to the ball and stop giving away penalties,” Coleman said.

Hear more from both coaches – https://rugbynews.net.au/rd-6-preview-randwick-v-easts-eagles-to-clash-in-anzac-derby/

West Harbour v Parramatta

West Harbour let a five point lead slip late in the match last week, eventually going down to Warringah 31-26.

Despite that, Pirates coach Mark Gudmunson thinks his side is on the right track.

“We played quite well last week without the result we wanted, which means that we don’t need to change too many things – continuing our improvement is what we are after with this team,” he said.

“Defence will be at the forefront of our plan – this type of weather is all about grinding your opposition down and forcing mistakes to get the advantage.”

The Two Blues have made five changes to the side that was beaten comfortably by Eastwood last week and will need to improve to claim its first win of 2015.

Whilst the match was scheduled on 7TWO, due to ANZAC day the broadcast has been cancelled.