SHEFFIELD go head-to-head with reigning Premiership Champions Peterborough on Thursday (May 5, 7.30) in a mouthwatering first home fixture of the season at Owlerton.

The Tru Plant Tigers are back in action after a three week break and will be looking to continue where they left off.

The Steel City side won their first three Premiership League Cup outings and proved why so many people had been tipping them as pre-season favourites.

But with league points on the line for the first time, heat-leader Adam Ellis says it's vitally important that they maintain their early season form.

“We’ve had two good meetings away from home and it was a long wait to come back here to Sheffield," Ellis said.

"We hit the ground running with something we struggled with a bit last year, a convincing home win.

“Everyone has had at least one good meeting already which you don’t always get this early in the season.

“And let’s be honest we couldn’t have got off to a much better start as a team results wise could we? It’s started brilliantly."

And despite Peterborough being stunned 64-26 at Belle Vue on Monday in their opener, Ellis insists nobody should take too much notice of that scoreline.

“Peterborough might have been beaten up at Belle Vue, but in some ways that can make them more dangerous.

“But as Steady (Simon Stead – team manager) always tells us, we just need to concentrate on what we do and if we do that, then we should have enough to get the win.”

Both teams are at full strength with the visitors including Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris who have won ten British titles between them.

Meanwhile, the club will pay tribute to former centre green presenter and press officer Nigel Pearson who passed away suddenly over the Easter weekend.

A minute's applause will be held prior to the meeting parade and a special raceday programme has been produced with tributes from some of Nigel's closest friends included.

Elsewhere, the first 100 kids through the turnstiles will receive a free sponge Tigers' paw.

SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Craig Cook, Tobiasz Musielak, Kyle Howarth, Adam Ellis, Stefan Nielsen, Connor Mountain.

PETERBOROUGH: Michael Palm Toft, Scott Nicholls, Ulrich Ostergaard, Hans Andersen, Chris Harris, Benjamin Basso, Jordan Palin.