Sheffield have enjoyed a miraculous improvement from last season, helped along the way by scrum-half Elliot Fisher, who is a prime contender to finish top of both the points scoring and try-scoring charts.
The livewire nine came into this weekend as the top try-scorer with 16 touchdowns in 17 games, while also slotting 46 conversions and 10 penalties off the tee to bring his overall points tally to 202 for the campaign.
Fisher, 23, trailed Rotherham Titans' formidable place-kicker Richard Hayes by 15 points heading into yesterday's round of fixtures and is full of admiration for his rival for the golden boot.
He told The Rugby Paper: “I wouldn't say finishing top points scorer is necessarily a goal, but it's a nice thing to aim for, because Hayes doesn't seem to miss, does he? He's a very accurate kicker and a great player, so to be close to him means a lot.
“In regards to my tryscoring, I'm very happy with that, but it's down to the boys more than anyone else. I finish off the work they do, so it just shows how much of an attacking mindset we have at Sheffield and how we want to throw the ball about, eager to score tries.
“It would be pretty cool to finish top of both. It's not something to focus on but if it happens I'd be delighted.”
Sheffield finished 10th last season. but are comfortably positioned in the top three this season and, having won their last 10 games, the Yorkshire side were 13 points clear of fourth-place Wharfedale heading into their meeting with Rotherham yesterday.
Fisher enjoys his side's expansive style of play but says they've shown maturity in their game management, in terms of deciding when attacks are on or whether it's best to play a more pragmatic approach.
“Securing 10 wins on the bounce shows how far we've come as a squad,” said Fisher. “We finished 10th last year and our longest winning streak was two, so I think it shows how much the boys have bought in and the potential of this group.
“We're really happy. If you told us at the start that we'd be here we'd probably all laugh. To see the hard work paying off and how we're now serious contenders in this league is just great to see. This year more than last year we've brought in more maturity in how we play from our own half, choosing to exit at the right time, but at the same time we're still not afraid to have a go and play what's in front of us.”
The club are enjoying their notable lead over arch rivals Sheffield Tigers, who were in sixth going into this weekend 21 points off their neighbours.
Fisher added: “There's always been a big rivalry between us, and being above them at the moment is great. The biggest goal for the rest of the season is continuing our consistency and bringing it to teams in and around us in the table. We all want to continue enjoying our rugby, keep playing well and, if we do that, we will see what results it brings.”
