RELIEF AFTER WIN
“I never cease to be amazed at how they keep finding ways to win. That’s probably the third game in the last five to ten minutes where we have had to dig in whether it be defensively or tonight through the spiral bomb and the scrum. That (the scrum) was encouraging because it hasn’t been where we wanted it to be by way of dominance until the last few weeks. You can see the impact that Luke Cowan-Dickie and Gus Creevy are having there, and James Harper. I have so much confidence putting that front-row on off the bench and watching them raise the intensity when it comes to set-piece.
“Let’s hold onto that resilience and fact we are able to dig in for each other and scrap out a win. It is terrible for my nerves these types of games. If you are going to measure yourself against championship-winning sides that is one of the traits. So it is good to have that in the locker.”
BATH SLOWING THINGS DOWN
“It was an extremely frustrating game by way of the turnovers which occurred, some which probably weren’t legal but you get that. Then the stop-start nature of the game which was decent gamesmanship from Bath. To not get frustrated by all those things and just keep going at them is what I am most impressed by more than relief. Relief is a feeling I am leaning into but the players were so resilient, taking each phase and play as it came. Our lads are a good bunch.”
PRESSURE TO STAY TOP
“It’s a privilege of a pressure. We did talk about it in the week. I think if you don’t mention it, the elephant in the room, it festers and becomes something bigger than it is. We have had to guts it out and earn the right to be there. So let’s enjoy it while we are there. It’s a different type of pressure. The key is not to be looking over your shoulder at who is coming but to keep focused forward on how you improve your own game and that way perhaps you don’t feel it. You are always on the attack.”
MESSAGE AT HALF-TIME
“Keep banging them because I thought that we were winning the collisions and we were. Ally that to improved accuracy and discipline. Three offsides is within your own control and that led to points and territory for Bath. It was also about winning the middle again. Every kick they had they won a couple back in that first half. It could be game-defining so let’s take every kick as the most important play that they do. And then when we were kicking back on them let’s find Finn Russell and we did quite a lot. He took a few knocks tonight and he was airborne on one occasion when Ben Curry hit him, who I thought was magnificent tonight as our captain.
“The boys will empty themselves and we spoke in the week about the more intangible, motivational and emotional drivers that fuel your physicality because that is an emotive part of the game. Ben (Curry) mentioned in the circle after the game that it was all out there to see tonight.”
BEN CURRY
“He put down a marker for his brother (Tom), not for him. Ben was very upset and emotional yesterday in the captain’s run. He said he was going to use it and play for him and I think he did tonight.”
THE SCRUM
“Scrums are not like going to McDonald’s where if you order a big Mac you get a big Mac. A lot of it is subjective and there are so many moving parts. Generally if you go forward and paint good pictures you get rewards and we got enough tonight to win us the game.”
WASTED CHANCES
“We mentioned drop-goals when we lost a bit of momentum and got turned over. We got turned over five times in their 22. We have got to be sharper there to keep the ball and convert more of that territory and physical dominance into points.”
LUKE COWAN-DICKIE
“He was good tonight. He didn’t want to come off, he was grumpy. I said to him that he had done a great job and we had a 100-cap international coming on for him. He is back isn’t he and there is more to come from him I’m sure.”
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