Scarborough RUFC coach Matty Jones set for Bridlington RUFC challenge

Scarborough’s last visit to Dukes Park was in 2018, with them falling to a 22-18 defeat and Jones, who was in the squad that afternoon, is hoping his side can put in a strong performance this weekend in Regional 2 North East.

Jones said: “We are on the back of a free weekend, and it’s given us the chance to rest up some lads who were carrying knocks.

“It’ll be interesting to see how the lads respond to training this week because we all know it’s going to be a big match this week and we are all looking forward to the occasion.”

Six of the current 1st XV were in the side who fell to that defeat during the 2018/19 season and Jones is focused on making sure that some of the inexperienced players know what to expect.

He added: “We know how Bridlington are going to play and we don’t think that’ll change at all.

“They like to throw the ball around a little bit more than what we are used to, but we just have to take it as another game and work on the aspects that are currently letting us down.”

In terms of selection, there will be a few headaches for Jones, who has a full squad to pick from.

The coach said: “It looks like we’ve got 40-45 players to pick from and that’s for all three teams which is fantastic for us as a club at this time of the season.

“It’s great for rugby in general as we know that clubs are struggling around the area and to get three games going will be huge.”

Jones is expecting a strong following of Scarborough supporters on Saturday, as his side look to continue their excellent run of form that has seen them climb to second place in the table.

He said: “There’s a lot of support from the town and everyone loves the derby games so when this fixture came out everyone looks for it.

“We need to make sure that we don’t get distracted by it and just produce a good performance.”

Bridlington are currently fifth in the league standings, having won five of their matches and lost five so far this season.