Beefing Up Defence

WEEKEND PREVIEW

We needed a reaction from the players after the Dorking game and our performance against Barnes was much improved. Our adjustment to the recent refocus on the new tackle height laws was exactly what we have been working on, only conceding one high tackle penalty. The challenge for us is to continue to dominate collisions at the lower height. Last season this was more straight forward as we coached a big impact from the second tackler. This is an area that referees are now concentrating on, even more so than the beginning of the season, and it has become difficult to have the same impact below the sternum as the second man. We have been working on strategies to be dominant in defence and this weekend is an opportunity to show how far we have progressed in this area.

The main story of the day last Saturday was the number of turnovers we conceded immediately after strong line breaks. This happened on eight occasions, the majority of the time after making considerable metres. It killed our ability to apply pressure through possession and the score board. To be at the top of this league you have to be clinical and we paid the price for our inaccuracy. The positive side of this coin is that we are creating so many good attacking opportunities and our work on is clear.

This weekend is the last of this three game block before a week off and it’s a big derby in the calendar away at Westcombe Park. Both Teams will be focused on finishing strongly and as we get into the business end of the season it’s all to play for.

Matt Corker, Head Coach