 IT’S not often teams coached by and featuring Tim Fourie in the forward pack are out-muscled, but that’s just what happened at Park Lane last Saturday.
Title contenders Doncaster Knights imposed themselves on Sedgley and Fourie, for one, was not impressed.
“They really got stuck into us and bullied us,” he admitted: “They forced us into mistakes and then capitalised on them. It didn’t help that we were missing the likes of Jimmy Ponton, Chris Hall and Matt Riley.
“But in the second half we were much more determined, made four of five breaks and scored two more tries but could just not force the fourth one that would have got us a bonus point.
“We are not playing to the standard we set for ourselves but Andy Northey and I know what we have to do and we’ve been told in no uncertain terms where we stand.
“However, you have to accept that in Exeter, Northampton and Doncaster we’ve been up against teams going for the one promotion place, teams with real depth to their squads who train every day.
“There are 10 full-time teams in National Division One and we are almost the best of the part-timers, not only in the league but the country.
“But a lack of playing depth leads to unique problems. On Saturday our lineouts were terrible so I wanted to concentrate on them in training on Tuesday, but I was the only second row there – the second team had a night off training, Glen Townson had been training with Sale Sharks all day and Ed Norris was unwell. I don’t think teams like Doncaster would be in a position like that.”
Looking forward to this Saturday Fourie said: “Bedford play serious rugby. To combat that we will have to be much more aggressive in the contact area because it is going to be very physical and uncompromising. Nevertheless we will go down there intent on scoring four tries, because at least then we will have one point and if you score that many tries you are always in the vicinity of a win.”
SEDGLEY TIGERS @ Bedford Blues
15 RILEY, Matt
14 HALL, Chris
13 CRAIG, Andy
12 BRIERS, Chris
11 VAN DEVENTER, Jan
10 JONES, Phil
9 ALBINSON, Jamie
1 GAZZOLA, Phil
2 RODDAM, Jonny
3 HALSALL, Martin
4 FOURIE, Tim
5 NORRIS, Ed
6 NEWTON, Adam
7 PONTON, Jimmy
8 SKURR, Jon
16 BIRCHALL, Danny
17 ROBERTS, Gareth
18 DU PLESSIS, Petrus
19 TOWNSON, Glen
20 CROUS, Juan
21 LECK, Chris
22 PAYNE, Freeman
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