A HEART-to-heart meeting between players and coaches has helped Keighley to turn things around after a below-par start to their SSE Yorkshire Division Two season.

Keighley had lost five of their first six league matches but returned to form in style with a 63-38 win over Ripon.

Director of rugby Graeme Sheffield said: "We improved greatly after half-time in the defeat at Old Rishworthians, and a combination of getting some of our better players back and concentrating on an aggressive approach to rucking in training – we are one and a half weeks into a six-week programme there – helped us beat Ripon last Saturday."

While a 43-5 half-time scoreline was just what the doctor ordered, the second half, where Keighley conceded five of their six tries, showed there is an issue over fitness.

Sheffield added: "We have only played four decent halves of rugby so far this season, and we know we aren't fit enough.

"All this shows that the coaches do know what they are talking about, and it has to be said that Leigh Sugden, Danny McGee and Will Armitage were magnificent in the first half against Ripon."

However, Keighley have opted to rest skipper Armitage (ankle) on Saturday at Roundhegians.

Dave Pullen replaces him and fellow veteran Steve Welch comes into the second row for the unavailable Dave Iliff but other selections show the wisdom of Laurence Marklew's idea to form an under-17 Academy as up to 14 of last year's squad are training with the seniors each week, and three members of last year's set-up are in the first-team squad.

Winger Nick Holroyd and scrum half Sam Chilvers are 17 and Elliott Barker, who is on the bench, is 18.

KEIGHLEY TEAMS FOR SATURDAY

1st XV v ROUNDHEGIANS (Yorkshire Two) AWAY KO 3pm, meet 12:30pm (cars): R Wilkinson, L Carter, A Ebbrell, A Horsfall, N Holroyd, D McGee, S Chilvers; C Spencer, D Pullen, M Hagyard, I Buckley, S Welch, L Sugden, S Minikin, J Hannah. Rep: L Everett, E Barker, D Smith.
2nd XV v OLD BRODLEIANS 2nds (friendly) HOME KO 3pm, meet 1:45pm. From: J Hill, N Berry, M Pynaert, Ja Atkinson, Ji Atkinson , R Lacey, G Darwin, S Booker, C Morris, M Symes, A Heys, P Salmon, S Everett, D Drake, M Kenrick, S Mellor, N Jordan, J Bell.
Academy XV v YARNBURY 4ths (friendly) AWAY KO 3pm, meet 12:45pm (cars): From: R Curtin, J Sugden, N Raja, T Stewart; J Rawnsley; T Ojikutu, R Lloyd, M Stott, A Gilmartin, L Gallagher, J Starr, R Baines, O Sugden, W Milner, J Williams, P Hands, T Vambe, J Morton, D Cooley, J Wells, D Baines, S Heal, L Daniels, C Dyson, P Hannah, M Crabtree, C McDowell.