Instonians head into 2024 full of pre-festive confidence

The Shaw’s Bridge club have a six-point lead at the top of the Division 2B table before they make the short trip to Deramore for the rematch with Belfast Harlequins, who they beat 63-22 before Christmas.

Coach Paul Pritchard is hoping the break hasn’t stifled the Inst momentum.

“You know you’ve almost got to sort of strip it back down a bit after Christmas and after that big break and you got to really focus back on your basics a lot more than probably what you normally would,” said Pritchard. “And your mentality...for us, nine from nine doesn't matter anything, we go into this second half of the season like it's the start of the season and we've just got to focus on each game as it comes and trying to get a win every week.

“You’ve just seen teams in the past where the break can hinder them and, for us, our focus is just to make sure we sort of come back with the momentum we finish the first half of the season, once we start with it this time around."

Despite eight places and 32 points in the table between the Belfast rivals Pritchard is expecting a tough afternoon at Deramore.

He said: “It's a massive incentive for them over Christmas, isn't it? And you know, and we we're fully aware of that and we know that they're going to come at us and they're going to be thinking about that.

“We know they're going be hurting and they're a good side, they're not going to just take that lying down and accept that, so we know going to Deramore is going be tough and it’s something that we have to make sure that we don't just match it but we exceed any intensity that they bring.”

Captain Robert Whitten has been ruled out for the rest of the season so younger brother David takes over the skipper’s armband.

Dungannon also host Rainey. In Division 2A, Ballymena welcome Malone and Banbridge face Greystones plus, over the fifth tier, Omagh clash with Clogher Valley and Bangor visit Tullamore.