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MATCH PREVIEW: 'I'VE BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY'VE DONE!'
Seb heaps praise on Caldy as title-chasers sit two games from silverware!
“I’VE been so impressed with their season and have a lot of respect for what they’ve done,” said Rams’ Director of Rugby, Seb Reynolds, ahead of tomorrow’s monumental National One clash with league leaders Caldy at Old Bath Road (3pm).
“They’re a very good side, cohesive, they’ve had good continuity in their selection, and it’s produced a lot of good results.
“It’s been great to see a side which embodies the community nature of rugby at the top of National One – they’re a well-coached group, their players have developed during the season and in many ways I feel our two clubs are aligned in what we do.”
Having bounced straight back to the third tier of English rugby off the back of an unbeaten National Two North triumph in the Covid-shortened 2019/20 campaign, the Wirral men lost their opening two games before embarking on a staggering run.
Firstly, they went eight games without defeat before being edged out by the then dominant Rosslyn Park, before regrouping and putting together a sparkling 15-match unbeaten streak in which they have defeated every other side in the division to open up a seven-point lead at the top.
And now, just two victories separate Matt Cairns’ men from The Championship, with Seb admitting he is not surprised online forum, The Rolling Maul, prediction league currently has not a single person tipping his side to cause an upset.
He explained: “Caldy are on a run and they need to win, they should win in many people’s eyes and that’s fine – they’re the form side in the division, top of the league, arguably the champions-elect, so I’m not surprised by those predictions.
“They’ve been superb and it’s been an interesting season for them. For the most part of it they’ve been chasing Rosslyn Park, being the hunters, but with two weeks to go, they are now the hunted (by Sale and Cambridge).
“They’re the ones who should win it, but it’s an interesting mindset for them now – we’re incredibly excited about the challenge of playing against them.”
Rams make just one change for the game with Drew Humberstone coming back in for Sam Nicholls at fly-half, and Seb was delighted to back his men after a fine victory at Blackheath last week.
He said: “I was really pleased with how we went because they’re a side who are really fighting in a relegation scrap, and those teams are always really motivated so we knew we were going to get a real battle.
“We’ve challenged the players to keep pushing throughout the whole year. In the last few years we’ve always had something on the line at the end of the season – whether that be promotion, pushing towards the top or fighting in relegation battles as we were when we in National Two South – but now we’re in a position where we can’t win it, you ask what can you do to keep progressing?
“That means improving each week, to continue to develop as a group and understand how we can keep getting better in the future.”
And while progression looms large, Seb confessed he still has one main aim for the weekend, concluding: “Any game of rugby you go into, you want to win and do well, but Caldy are a good side, so it will be a great battle.”
*Prior to kick-off, the Berkshire Brigands, the county’s first mixed ability team, will enjoy a training session on the first-team pitch, before showing off their skills during an intra-club game also involving some members of the Rams’ Senior Squad.