Cup holders Wigan Warriors begin their 2012 Carnegie Challenge Cup programme on Sunday with the home game at the DW against Championship One side, North Wales Crusaders, 3pm kick off.
Warriors Assistant Coach Iestyn Harris was of course in charge of the old Crusaders Club before joining Wigan and admitted that although Sunday's fixture is against a whole new Club it is a game the cherry and whites need to be wholly ready for,
"Clive Griffiths is doing a great job there, I have watched the last couple of games that they have had, this will be a different type of game for us this weekend. They are obviously in a lower division than us and that can sometimes make it slightly difficult, but we will be making sure we give them the respect they deserve. The Crusaders have worked hard to get themselves where they are and we will make sure we are fully professional the way we go about the game.
"We have set some standards this year both individually and as a team and it's important we keep those at a high level because the week after we travel to Hull and we can't allow ourselves to drop for a week because it is then difficult to regain them again."
On the Crusaders themselves, Iestyn added,
"Structurally they look very good, Clive has got them playing to a very good structure both defensively and offensively, they have only been running for six months so it's a big ask for them to come to Wigan but we will be prepared. We are making sure this game is about us and how we perform rather than what the Crusaders throw at us."
A reminder that only the East and West Stands are open for the game and tickets can be purchased in person from the DW Stadium Ticket Office, by calling 0871 66 33 552 ( calls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline, other operators may vary) and online click here.