Hunter Rugby: Uni raises bar in pursuit of play-off berth

But in a sign of how far the Students have progressed, Berry wasn't totally satisfied with the 57-31 victory over Southern Beaches on Saturday.

The victory was the Students' third straight to move within striking distance of the top four. They meet Wanderers in a crucial catch-up game at No.2 Sportsground on Wednesday night.

"You can't be unhappy with the result but we still did a few stupid things," Berry said. "We are conceding points in bunches. We scored four tries in 20 minutes, then Beaches scored three tries in seven minutes. We need to stop the flow. If we cop a try we need to knuckle down and make sure it doesn't turn into two or three.

"Against Wanderers, guys like Hayden Cole and Dillon Rowney, once they get a roll on, they are hard to stop."

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The Students welcome back Carl Manu and are in sixth place on 26 points, four behind fourth-placed Wanderers, who have played one less game.

"If we lose, we are out of the race," Berry said. "We have the Hawthorne Cup as well. It's not on the line on Wednesday. We'd like to win that. It gives us more motivation to keep going."

Wanderers are backing up from a gruelling 27-24 loss to Hamilton and coach Dan Beckett said it was a struggle to come up with 15 fit players.

"There was more red on the teamsheet than a Liverpool jersey," Beckett said. "It is a massive game and not just with regards to the table. Can we can handle the challenge of backing up quickly after a physical game against Hamilton on a heavy ground?

"I expect Uni to throw a bit of caution to the wind which makes them pretty dangerous. We are going to have to be willing in defence and pretty smart in how we play."

After University, the Two Blues meet Nelson Bay, Singleton and Southern Beaches.

"We are looking to find some form and confidence," Beckett said. "We have a real foundation to launch. Our set piece has been strong and the effort is there.

"We are looking for that game to pull the trigger. If we find that missing ingredient on Wednesday night, we should be OK. If we don't, we know we are up against a good team."