We might not have achieved the outcomes we were seeking in our first three matches after Christmas, but there is still a lot of rugby to come from a competition perspective. Looking at the form of the top four teams, that is going to make for a massive challenge, but it is one we must meet head on if we are to keep the pressure on those teams who are currently ranked above and below us on the competition point’s table.There are still aspects of our game that we have been working on and need to continue to work on to ensure we give ourselves every opportunity to be a force at the business end of the competition.
In terms of the reading Abbey game, outside of a 15min patch in which we looked like a top class outfit and scored 3 great tries (specifically, the first 5min, 2min in the middle and the final 8min of the match) I thought we were miles off where we normally are in terms of the intensity. The desire just wasn’t there, and neither were the high standards we’ve set ourselves and expect of ourselves as a group. The poor performance wasnt due to a lack of commitment or preparation, as we really wanted back up last weeks effort, to show that we are deserving contenders in this competition.
The Reading Abbey team played better than us on the day and deserved their 17-29 victory- the biggest disappointment about our lacklustre performance there was because we know we are a much better team than what we produced on the day. The fact that they celebrated their win as if it was a grand final shows just hope competitive this league is- their hunger and desperation deservedly saw them overturn their 45-12 defeat at PoW earlier in the season.We went there wanting to get a win (and 5 competition points) and certainly had a half a dozen opportunities to put daylight between ourselves and Reading Abbey in the 1st half. We knew they had a big, physical pack and while we fronted up physically, we allowed their backs too much space to operate in and we were punished for it.
As I keep saying, its a tough competition and if you dont turn up with your ‘A’ game, you’ll get beaten by anyone, regardless of their position on the league table. Unlike last week, we couldn’t keep the pressure on Reading Abbey all game, but the players will have learned an enormous amount from the game and they will be a lot better for it. The challenge now is to mount a response- what we’ve got to do, no matter where we lie on the table is focus on consistency in our performances because if we get that right, we are more than capable of being top two contenders in this competition.
From a coaching perspective, our decision making and skill execution under pressure on attack is a big work on area for the next wee while. While we defended poorly at Reading Abbey, we know we can defend well- what we need to get back on track is the accuracy of our execution on attack. Every game we’ve been in this season, we’ve created a number of opportunities to score points and we’ve scored some great tries and won games, and even in the games we’ve lost, we’ve still created opportunities. However, the two key areas that have broken down since the Christmas break are our skill execution and decision making- both vital elements in terms of the way we play.
One of the real dangers as the 2012 campaign continues towards the championship-defining games is that you can lose focus of the challenges that lie immediately in front of you. Perhaps I made too much of the ‘big start’ we had after Christmas with Maidenhead & Coney Hill, rather than sticking to my mantra of ‘one game at a time’. To that end, it is critical that, as a team, we go back to looking at each game in isolation, as opposed to allowing our collective minds to wander ahead to what may – or may not – be coming up beyond Reading at home this Saturday. If their performance against us at theirs is anything to go by, we’ll have enough on our plate dealing with that challenge.
On the team front, its been great to welcome back Jake Leonard-Walters to the squad, Tim Acheson back into the playing group, as well as our last ‘Christmas holiday maker’ Ryan Hill- we will be without Matt Francis for about a month and Rich Athey, Teddy Saunders & Steve Moore are all struggling with injuries and we’ll be without them for a while, so its going to be tough! Having said that, the challenge is for the rest of the boys to stand up, and for the team to raise their efforts and I have no doubt they will.
For those of you who will be supporting us, we hope the game makes for an exciting afternoon, and look forward to seeing you back at the Prince of Wales Stadium!
See you in the stands,
Will
