LEE Smith has played in some of the biggest pressure-cooker contests that rugby league can throw up.

In a glittering spell with Leeds Rhinos, he appeared in three consecutive Grand Final triumphs and scored in all of them, swooping up the Harry Sunderland Trophy along the way.

Add in World Club Challenge success and a World Cup with England in Australia and Smith has shown he knows how to handle the most high-powered contests.

The Odsal clash between the Bulls and Dewsbury Rams hardly resonates on quite the same level.

But Smith, now 30, appreciates how significant a marker it could prove to be in the on-going scrap to stay in the Championship.

A fourth win of the season would drag Dewsbury very much into view. Suddenly the mountain of that 12-point deficit could appear more of a steep hill.

“It’s a massive game for everyone involved,” said Smith. “It’s a four-pointer for us.

“Our goal at the start was to get these 12 points knocked off as soon as possible. The quicker we do that the better and this would be another step towards it.”

Smith has noticed the slow transformation within the Bulls squad as they chip away at the penalty. With three wins in five since his arrival, the former international has helped add some street-wise nous and experience to a generally youthful group.

He added: “The boys had a bit of a tough run in pre-season because of not knowing what was going on. But the more time we spend together and the more combinations we get, the better it will be.

“Everyone has got the self-belief and confidence. It’s just about spending time together and getting everyone out on the park.

“We’ve got a lot of experience and some very good players in this squad.

“You’re never going to create a winning culture straight away. It’s going to take time.

“If we can pick up points along the way then hopefully we’ll come to the back end of the season in good form to survive.”

Dewsbury have suffered a torrid start with five straight defeats and have not managed a single try in two away games.

But they have faced four of the top five and Smith will not be drawn into a false sense of security of thinking the win is already in the bag.

Smith said: “We watched a few clips of them against Hull KR and there wasn’t much between the teams for 20-30 minutes.

“But Hull KR have got a very good squad and have the experience to put 40 points on them later on. That’s probably going to happen in most of Hull KR’s games.

“But we’re under no illusions. We know we’ve got to start well, because we haven’t done that for a few weeks, or it will be a really tough afternoon.

“They’ve got some very good experience in there, a big pack, and we’re expecting a strong Dewsbury team to turn up.

“As much as we’re fighting to stay in the Championship, so are they. They need to get their first win and we don’t want to be the team they do that against.”