Video: New Yorkshire Carnegie coach Redpath sets ambitious target

Yorkshire Carnegie new head boach Bryan Redpath at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. (Picture: Tony Johnson)

Carnegie want to reach the top two in the Championship next season and a sustained assault on promotion to the Premiership.

But Redpath, the 44-year-old former Sale and Gloucester coach, believes Carnegie can gatecrash the play-offs this season.

Sixth-placed Yorkshire have five games left and trail Rotherham Titans in fourth by eight points.

Carnegie have three of their five games at home and Redpath said: “I believe we’ll be in the top four by the end of April.

“We’re eight points off that top four, we’ve got teams around us who we’ll play against, so there’s no reason why we can’t. That’s the challenge.

“The reality is how we have to solve Monday to Friday to get there. The players have got to change some of their habits and in the long term we want to be in the top two by next April.”

Executive president Sir Ian McGeechan, who presided over the club’s last game, a 15-8 win over Bedford, two weeks ago, added: “The top four is still there so we just have to make sure we put our best rugby on the field and finish with some strong, winning rugby.”

Redpath’s reign begins away at bottom-club Plymouth on Saturday.