THE Reef Raiders rugby union team face a formidable challenge when they meet Northern Beaches Mudcrabs Rugby Union Club at the Port Douglas Sports Complex on Saturday at 4pm.

As the reigning Premiers – they won 20 of their 21 games last year with one draw – they are currently second on the log with 47 points to log leaders Barron-Trinity Bulls who have 54.

The Raiders had a bye last weekend because of the Mighty Mossman Show holiday weekend and the break should present a revitalised XV after their encouraging performance against James Cook University (JCU) when they lost 17-10 in a match that could have gone either way.

“We could have at least drawn against JCU, if we had held our passes and this is something we need to concentrate on against the Mudcrabs,” said coach Stewart Cowe.

With 10 minutes remaining, the Raiders had a golden opportunity to square the match when they won clean ball under JCU’s posts. But a crucial pass went begging, JCU kicked ahead the loose ball and a certain try was missed.

“We also need to be more disciplined and eradicate talking back to the referee. If we persist with this approach, we will continue to concede penalties which can be costly.”

James Kelleher (work commitments) and Rory McHugh (sprained ankle) will not be available for this game.

The Raiders have two more fixtures this season. On August 6 they host Cairns Wanderers RUC and a week later Southside Crusaders Sports & Culture RUC.