Rugby Union clubs have a weekend off due to tomorrow’s World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia.

In the North Lancs Cumbria, Wigton head coach Mark Lee says he is pleased with the progress his side has made after being relegated from North One West last season.

Wigton are currently fifth in the league, 10 points behind leaders St Benedict’s, and recently picked up their first away win in 18 months

They go into the break following back-to-back wins over Hawcoat Park away and at home against recently promoted Silloth.

“We had a tough season last year and we had a huge lack of confidence,” Lee said. “The first half of the season was about getting that confidence back and the players understanding the structures we want them to play and then building on that.

“The away win at Hawcoat Park was really important in helping us build that confidence.

“We’ve got a really big game when the league resumes against St Benedict’s but we have a lot of players coming back from injury.

“Dave Hanabury is back in the side too and he made a big contribution in the win over Silloth last weekend.

“I’m also really pleased with how Jonny Charters has established himself in the team this year and he’s become one of our most consistent players.

“We’ve changed the way we train and we now train on Mondays and Wednesday as opposed to Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“It means the players are a bit more comfortable in the full contact sessions because they have a little bit more recovery time before we play our games.”

After eight games, Lee says that his side’s performances are in-line with targets set at the start of the season.

“We had targeted the top half of the table,” he continued. “It’s always difficult to judge when you go into a new league.

“We have a lot of young lads in the side and for the local club to have as many players as it actually has is great for the town.

“You’ve got the Nelson Thomlinson School right next to our club and there’s some great work with

rugby going on there.”

St Bendict’s are currently on a three-game winning streak and have lost just one game so far this season as they sit at the top of the table.

Their most recent victory came against second-placed Aspatria as they won 30-20 to cement their place at the top of the league and opened up a five-point gap over their nearest rivals.

Aspatria will return to action against 10th place Upper Eden next weekend.

The Black Reds’ defeat to St Benedict’s last Saturday was their first defeat in five games.

Perhaps the pick of the fixtures next weekend is Silloth’s game against Whitehaven, their third derby in three games.

After winning their

first two games of the season, Silloth have gone on a run of six defeats.

Their two most recent losses have been against Aspatria and Wigton and the Tigers welcome Whitehaven to The Jim Brough Rugby Park next weekend in a crucial tie.

Whitehaven are currently second-bottom in the league, three points behind Silloth, after being deducted five points.

Despite their league position, Whitehaven are on a three-game winning streak and could move out of the relegation zone with a win next weekend.

Furness opened up a two-point lead over Workington in the Cumbria League with their win over Penrith A XV last weekend.

The south Cumbrian side currently sit top of the league but both Workington and Keswick trail by two and three points.