Returning Russell Earnshaw happy to stay on Bees sidelines

Dec 18 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Mail

RUSSELL Earnshaw will resist the temptation to thrust himself straight back into the Bees line-up to face Nottingham at Sharmans Cross Road this weekend.

The experienced back-row has missed the last three games because of his commitments with the England Sevens set-up.

But he also picked up an injury before he left for Dubai and South Africa and although he claims he could play tomorrow if he needed to, he feels it is not the right thing to do.

Instead, he would rather give the embryonic combination of Rob Bell, Adam Clayton and Leo Halavatau the chance to bed in against a Nottingham side who will be yet another severe test for winless Bees.

“I don’t think either medically or in terms of selection it would be for the best,” Earnshaw said.

“I’m not going to play for at least the next month. The lads that are playing are doing well so it’s not really a big issue for me.

“We have bigger battles to fight and anyway I think it will be quite good for the team if they don’t have one or two senior players on whom to rely.”

Earnshaw returns to Sharmans Cross Road to find his side has at last begun to move in an upward direction after defeats to Coventry, Rotherham and Cardiff which he describes as ‘our lowest ebb’.

“The Bristol game was an improvement, although I was still not happy with some performances, and last week’s London Welsh match was a step forward again,’’ he said.

“We need another step in the right direction against Nottingham.”