Dewsbury Rams young half back Morgan Punchard was ecstatic to make his debut as he helped the Rams get through to the next round of the Challenge Cup.
The Rams won their fourth round tie up at Whitehaven on Wednesday evening in torrid conditions. However Punchard and the rest of Lee Greenwood’s team battled through the weather to successfully set up an away trip to Newcastle this weekend for the fifth round contest.
On making his debut and the win at Whitehaven, Punchard said: “It was awesome to get a win on my debut for the club.
“I enjoyed making my debut I’ve been working hard to try and get my spot but it is obviously very hard with Finny (Liam Finn) and Sykesy (Paul Sykes) in front of me. I have a lot of respect for those two as they take time to show me new things and ways of playing the game.”
One of the most impressive things about the performance up at Whitehaven is the fact the Rams had to do some though defending on their own line for at least fifteen minutes in the second half.
On that defensive structure, Punchard said: “Lee (Greenwood) is very keen on our defence being spot on and I think we all take pride in working for each other in defence. We had two wrestle sessions a week in pre-season and I think they have benefited the squad hugely.”
Something that has become obvious since the season started is how close the group are as players, and Punchard insists there is a great feeling within the dressing room.
Punchard commented: “There is a real bond in the squad, we all get on and are all good mates. I think that has a lot to do with how we are playing at the moment and working for each other.”
The 21 year old believes the Rams are going up to Newcastle with great confidence and obviously hoping to come back with a win, even though they know it will be a tough game.
He said: “We can’t afford to drop our form against Newcastle as they are a good team that were close to coming up last session. They have some good players in there but I am sure if we stick to our game plan we will come away with another win.”
Punchard is only starting out in his career and one of his dreams one day is as any rugby league player to play in a Challenge Cup or get to a final and win the trophy. He’s hoping for lots of fond memories in the competition in the future in his career.
“It’s a prestige trophy to win, and hopefully one day I can say I’ve won it myself, I have no memories to date of the Challenge Cup but I am sure there will be in the future.”
