Saumi wants Albion to kick-start their season with Headingley win

Plymouth Albion head coach Nat Saumi is hoping his team can make a winning start to 2013 when they head to Leeds this weekend.

Albion go into the new year with five Championship wins to their name. It is exactly the same situation as they were in at the start of 2012.

Last year, with the club in chaos, they managed just one more regular league win. But Saumi wants his eighth-placed team to clock up more wins as they try to pull away from bottom four – starting on Sunday at Headingley.

"Some of the goals and targets that we aimed for we missed," he said. "There were some home games we should have won when we haven't. But I've reminded the boys that it is a new year.

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"The past has gone and now we just have to take one game at a time. We know how hard it is going to be for us now, so we have to make sure every game we go to we win – simple as that."

Saumi, whose team have only won one league game since the end of September, said: "It is a new year and, hopefully, the players have learned a lot.

"Other teams will have learned a lot about us also, but we just have to keep looking at ourselves and try to go out and play the rugby we have been trying to play. But get better at it and come up with some wins."

Both Albion and Leeds go into Sunday's game on the backs of narrow defeats.

Albion lost 9-5 at home to the Cornish Pirates and Leeds went down 20-17 at Jersey.

Saumi said his team have a point to prove after their loss, but he knows Leeds will also be keen to make up for their disappointing defeat when they return to Headingley for the first time in three months.

Leeds have not been able to play at their home ground since October 5 as the playing surface had to be replaced.

Saumi said: "Every time you lose you always want to come back and prove a point.

"But Leeds will also come out fighting and want to put things into place. We know that they will be hungry for a win after losing at Jersey.

"They have also been away from their base for a long time so they will be tough team to beat. But we are going there for a win.

"The position we are in now we have to prove ourselves," he added.

Last season Albion lost at Leeds having missed touch with a late penalty.

Saumi said: "Hopefully, that does not happen again. The players have to be mature now and be experienced at what they do.

"The key is our set piece. We have to go well with our scrums and line-outs. If we can do that well it should be a good game for us."

Albion's line-out cost them against the Pirates, but lock Brett Beukeboom will be back on Sunday and former club captain Danny Thomas has been working with the club's forwards this week.

Saumi said: "Brett has recovered well and we are looking forward to his leadership in the line-outs. Danny came down and did some line-outs with the forwards. It is good that he comes and helps."

He added: "I think against the Pirates it was just the decision making with the calls as Brett was not there.

"Hopefully, now we should have someone who is always in place to make the decisions.

"Hopefully, we will do well this week."