RUSSELL Earnshaw hopes the injury crisis that has hampered – but not derailed – his team’s Championship run-in will begin to ease before the play-offs.
The Bees director of rugby was without 14 players for Saturday’s narrow 27-20 defeat at home to leaders Worcester and was pleased with his side’s efforts.
Not until the 69th minute did Warriors finally break Bees’ resistance and even then it was only by one try as Oriol Ripol finally swung the final match of the regular season the visitors’ way.
That left Bees bottom of the table and with the fewest wins – and therefore points to carry forward into the play-offs – of anyone in the Championship but Earnshaw knows that is only half the story.
The coach’s hands were tied by the fact he was effectively without half his squad, with the situation particularly acute in the forwards where ten were missing and Adam Clayton was forced to play injured.
The No.8 was nursing a wrist injury when he replaced Earnshaw an hour into proceedings for what was his third game in eight days.
However, Clayton is expected to be fit for Sunday’s British & Irish Cup match with Rotherham, a fixture that is effectively a dead rubber since Bees have no hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
But Earnshaw is still hoping to use it to reintroduce some of his recovering players before the post-season begins on March 12.
Fortunately for him fellow back- rower Mark Hopley should be ready to face the Titans having overcome a hamstring tweak.
Also in the back-row Jack Bentall’s knee problem should have abated, while in the second row the talismanic Semisi Taulava should also be back from a hamstring strain.
Danny Wright and Matt Long are also ruled out for the next four and two weeks respectively. A lack of cover at hooker continues to be an issue which is why Loughborough Uni student George Thomas is set for a first start since re-signing on loan after being with Bees for parts of last season.
Ben Gerry and Jack Preece will be out for six weeks while Earnshaw does not expect Dan Oselton back from his Achilles tear any time soon. Flanker Will Webster is another long-term absentee.
The situation is not quite as bad behind the scrum although the calf strain picked up by Ian Davey against Warriors did nothing to help matters. Tom Foden will still be out for a fortnight but Earnshaw hopes Will Lawson will have recovered from tonsillitis and John Brake from jet lag.
Meanwhile, Bees’ relegation play-off programme has begun to take shape starting at home to Esher, probably on Sunday, March 13.
Bees then travel to Billesley Common the following weekend before having to trawl down to Devon for a Friday night clash with Plymouth on March 25. They round off away at Esher on April 16.
