| Last weekend was obviously not the result we wanted but I thought the defence and the spirit shown by the team was great. We played against what everyone knows is a very good side which is boosted by being a much bigger squad than ours. It would be nice to have a squad that size, but I would never take anything away from our guys. Some members of our squad were extremely brave last Saturday – Jon Clarke could not see out of one eye, Corne Krige was in a lot of pain from his neck injury and Matt Lord’s back meant he had not trained all week and yet he managed to play until the end of the game. Grase also came despite not being able to run in the warm-up. In terms of team spirit, it was fantastic and the boys should be commended for the way they played.
Our supporters should also be commended. It has been estimated that more than 1,500 fans travelled all the way to Toulouse and their presence certainly did not go unnoticed. The noise was deafening as the boys warmed up. By the time the players ran out onto the pitch, they were well and truly ready, thanks to great black, green and gold support.
Unfortunately, the supporters’ good wishes could not prevent some of players ending up on what was an already hefty injury list. We have now lost Andrew Blowers, Corne, Lordy and Ben, but have recently signed Ross Beattie and Simon Emms, and have Iona Sipa here on trial to help ease the physio room congestion. I know you will all join me in wishing them a speedy recovery.
Today, we welcome a few of my old friend for this sixth round tie of the Powergen Cup. It will be nice to see them, but they will be very, very keen to prove a point on the pitch. I am looking forward to the battle. Please play your part by being in your seats nice and early to shout the boys on in the warm-up and to make as much noise as possible during the game. It would be great to experience the same atmosphere as we did two weeks ago.
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