Lead Rugby Consultant Steve Diamond spoke to the media today ahead of Friday’s EPCR Challenge Cup match against Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland (kick-off 8.00pm BST).
Here’s what Steve had to say:
What have the squad been doing since the Newcastle match?
- We had last week off which, coming after the Newcastle game, was probably the right thing to happen.
- But they have trained very well this week. We were in limbo until Saturday night not knowing whether or not we were going to be playing this weekend. But it has come our way and we trained well on Monday and Tuesday.
How difficult has it been to organise flights and hotels at such short notice?
- It’s been a bit of a shocker to be fair. To complicate matters West Ham are playing Lyon in Lyon tonight so finding available flights has been difficult.
- But Luke Broadley, our team manager, and our travel company have done a great job getting everything sorted out.
- The team flew this morning and the staff are flying out of Heathrow tonight.
- It’s a bit of a challenge but there’s no point whingeing about it. We are off there and we have nothing to lose.
- I didn’t expect us to be in this knockout stage but we need to put a bit of pride back in the jersey after that Newcastle result, notwithstanding the fact that we probably shouldn’t have played that game either with the remnants of the illness we had the week before.
Do you have sympathy for supporters who might have fancied a trip to Lyon?
- What has real impressed me with the club’s supporter base is that they not only have a fantastic home supporter but an avid bunch who travel away and who are very supportive.
- This weekend, with it being Easter, people already have things planned, the only direct flights we could get to Lyon were from Heathrow and the flights are very expensive.
- I understand that the format of the European competitions has been adapted because of COVID, but we are coming out of that now and I think that it needs to be looked at again and I’m sure it will be.
What do you make of Lyon?
- I have been there a couple of times with Sale. It’s a fantastic arena, they are playing well and they have a massive pack so we have got it all to do.
- But, as we have shown on occasions this season – beating Sale, Wasps, Exeter and Bristol at home – if we can get them primed right we stand a chance.
- I don’t regret my comments after the Newcastle match but, having had time to reflect, we didn’t know the magnitude of how poorly our lads were coming back after a bout of serious COVID the previous week.
- The players want to put a bit of pride back in the shirt and there is not better place to do it than the knockout stages in Europe.
What is your selection policy going to be for the rest of the season?
- I sat down with the lads this week and we have agreed that we are going to go with the strongest game each week.
- For the Premiership Rugby Cup it will be more of a development team but we want to have a good crack at the last three Premiership matches.
Injuries
- Owen Williams will be back next week and he will be good for Fin Smith who has stepped into the void magnificently. I have a lot of experience of bringing young players through and it’s not always wise to be playing 80 minutes every week. Sometimes you need to bring them off the bench and give them game time that way.
- Francois Venter will be back next week.
- Ollie Lawrence is recovering from a hamstring injury and we hope that he will play before the end of the season.
- Jamie Shillcock has an ankle injury. We don’t think it will need surgery but it’s very painful at the moment so he will be out for another couple of weeks.