Umaga is sweating on Pickard
By Coventry Telegraph
December 19 2008
NUNS go to Huddersfield in National Division Three North tomorrow but whether tight-head prop Tim Pickard will be in the starting line-up will depend on a late fiteness test. Pickard is carrying a shoulder injury and coach Mike Umaga reckons it’s touch and go, so reliable Paul Ryan is on stand-by and ready to cover if required. It’s a crucial test for the Liberty Way men and one that Umaqga
feels is very winnable if Nuns turn up in the sort of form that produced a solid and decisive 46-22 win over Preston Grasshoppers a fortnight ago.
“There’s good vibes going around the team and the club at the moment. We’ve won our last four league games and are second in the table so it’s all very positive at the moment,” said Umaga.
“With no game last Saturday we had a really serious training session and I feel that will be very beneficial to us tomorrow. When in the same situation in the past we’ve tended not to train on a Saturday but we had a terrific session and this time I don’t expect us to be slowly out of the blocks.”
Umaga feels Huddersfield big, wide Lockwood Park pitch could play into his team’s hands.
“It’s a good surface and very conducive to the sort of rugby we play,” he added.