REFLECTIONS ON LAST WEEK’S DEFEAT TO BRISTOL
“We were obviously disappointed with how we started. Just a bit lacklustre with the ball probably in hand and a few too many errors gave them opportunities and teams like Bristol thrive on those transitions from defence to attack. So it was probably two-fold for us; our basics needed to be better and more consistent, but similarly reacting quickly and re-finding our shape defensively again so that transition from attack to defence and that urgency and effort that we need to get back in control when we lose the ball. A bit disappointed with how we started that first-half and made it a bit of a mountain for us to climb. I think we can take some positives with some of the young lads who came on in the last 20 minutes and gave us a little bit of impetus. We have to keep hold of that this week and hopefully take it into Sunday.”
WAS THE MARGIN OF VICTORY NEEDED LAST WEEK TO GET A HOME SEMI-FINAL A DISTRACTION?
“It’s hard to say and I suppose you can speculate a bit afterwards. Everything is easier in retrospect. I think at the time in our preparation we felt all the messages were clear and that the team were in a good place and confident going into it. Statistics would show we had the majority of the ball and territory. I just think we were poor in those transitions and they were excellent in terms of striking fast when they got the opportunity and we spiralled a little bit in that first half. I think it’s hard to say from a psychological perspective because I felt we were in a good place going in. Hopefully we have that control from the off that we are after on Sunday. We spoke about it last week in terms of not going too far away from our game model and how we play at our best. We have re-centred around that which is underpinned by our effort and physicality. I am hoping to see a big improvement on that on Sunday.”
GEORGE FORD’S DEBUT AND HOW HIS MINUTES WERE MANAGED FOR THAT GAME
“There were probably some physical markers that the medical and S&C guys were keeping an eye on. The first half was probably more open than we expected and there was probably more high-speed running given the number of transitions from attack to defence. We had to make that call given he has been injured a long while and given how that game went in the first half. If it was a little bit more controlled and we had done our basics better we may have seen him for another 10 minutes but sometimes those things happen.
“There are some things you know you are going to get with George. The first half didn’t necessarily go to plan but the quality of his restarts and kicking out of hand are right up there and world class. We were able to win back a couple of kick-offs and we were able to gain some momentum and scored a try at the end of the first half off the back of it. There were some good touches in there. There was obviously an element of getting some minutes in him and working back to his best. It obviously was a little bit difficult considering we couldn’t get much front foot ball and keep hold of the ball, but there were some great moments in there which hopefully we will see even more of that in the coming weeks.”
SELECTION DECISIONS GOING INTO THIS WEEK
“We have had a really good training week in that respect with all the players back who had a break last week. There is an element of us balancing across the two competitions and having a shorter turnaround next week being away at Exeter on Sunday and then Northampton away a week on Saturday. That comes into consideration a little bit but similarly there is a strong group that has got us to this stage of the competition and have earnt the opportunity to play in the semi-final. Whatever team goes out on Sunday we are excited to see what they can do down at Sandy Park and I know they are ready to embrace that challenge down there.
“It’s on an individual basis and what the player needs at this stage of the year given some players have been away on international duty, both Under 20’s and senior level, and some players coming off a 9-game block over December and into January. There was some well-earned rest last week and an opportunity for the players to freshen up going into what is going to be a massive last half of the season kicking off this weekend with one semi-final but hopefully there will be another two if we get this right off the back of managing the squad appropriately but also giving players opportunities this weekend. First and foremost it’s the guys who have got us there which will form the core of the team on Sunday.
“We are pretty forward-thinking in terms of selection. Squads aren’t massive across the country so you have to be got to be forward-thinking in that respect. Alex Sanderson and Paul Deacon have a good idea looking forward as to what that might look like. There is a plan as to how to manage the squad appropriately to make sure we can hit our straps at the right time.”
EXCITEMENT FOR SUNDAY’S SEMI-FINAL
“There is a real buzz around the place. I know there are lots of lads who are excited to get the opportunity. There are a couple of young lads who haven’t been involved in anything like this before. There is a massive excitement around the group and hopefully it will be the first of a few this year. All the boys are ready to embrace the challenge this weekend going down to a packed Sandy Park. It will be a great experience for us and hopefully we can put in a brilliant performance off the back of it and rise to the challenge.”
INJURY UPDATE
Tom Curry- rehab has been going well, has re-integrated into training over the last week, been great having him back in training, close to a return to action, could be back in contention for Northampton in the Premiership next weekend
Dan du Preez- cracking on with his rehab at the moment, hasn’t fully re-integrated back into full team training
OTHER NEWS
Managing returning England players, decision not taken yet whether Ben Curry, Jonny Hill and Bevan Rodd will be involved on Sunday
Backed Ben Curry to bounce back from not making England squad for this weekend’s game against Italy
Some England players who haven’t had much game-time recently might be released next week going into Northampton game in the Premiership
Thanks once again Kieran star man.