Birmingham & Solihull Bees director of rugby Russell Earnshaw insists 'It's not win or bust' in RFU Championship relegation showdown
Apr 30 2010 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Mail
RUSSELL Earnshaw has moved to defuse the significance of Bees’ seismic relegation encounter with local rivals Moseley.
The Birmingham & Solihull director of rugby has suggested the future of the beleaguered club does not rest solely on the outcome of tomorrow’s derby at Billesley Common.
Even so, Bees go in knowing they have to beat their hosts if they are to stand any chance of staying in the Championship and retaining the vital £300,000 funding.
And even though that still might not be enough if the other candidates for the drop, Coventry, defeat Rotherham at Butts Park Arena, Earnshaw remains positive if the worst comes to the worst.
“It is not win or bust,” the director of rugby said.
“But it is a massive game for the future of the club. We get through tomorrow and then see what happens.
“Our whole focus is on winning this weekend and hoping and praying that results go our way.”
Earnshaw is keen to avoid a similar situation to the one a couple of years ago when Bees won their last game of the season at Bedford, only to find out the Titans had lost at Sedgley Park to save the Mancunians.
Fate’s twisted sense of humour has cast Earnshaw’s former club in the role of executioner once more and the back row, who has passed himself fit to play despite just a fortnight ago dislocating his shoulder for a third time this season, does not want to experience at Billesley Common, the emotions of that black day at Goldington Road.
“You probably get 30 or 60 seconds of sheer elation followed by a lifetime of disappointment,” he said.
“It is so frustrating at the time but what you tend to forget is the things that have gone before.
“Relegation is rarely a story of what happens in the last game or on the last scrum. It’s often because of stuff from months or even years ago.”
Earnshaw points to the squandering of a 19-point lead at home to Coventry in their last match and the financial problems of late last year as bigger factors.
However, hope springs eternal at Sharmans Cross and with their ambitious, attacking style Bees have more than a chance of beating Moseley, who have nothing to play for, but they will need a big game from fly-half Ben Patston.
“We have ironed out a few things that happened against Coventry,’’ said Earnshaw.
‘‘I’d like him to play like Mike Whitehead did for Rotherham against Moseley when he brought others into the game. We are at our best when the ball gets to our back three and Ben will hopefully have the trust in others to make sure that happens.”
