Moseley have plenty to prove

Mar 21 2008

IAN Smith is not a great lover of free weekends.

One provides a break and a chance to recover from knocks and niggles.

Too many, though, and it starts to affect momentum and Moseley are coming back from their third free weekend in 2008 when Bedford Blues come to Billesley Common tomorrow.

Moseley, fifth bottom, are safe from last year's frantic scramble away from relegation and Smith is now looking for performance and improvements as a team over the pressure of results and points.

"We have six games in six weeks and the season is effectively over," he said. "So we need to make sure we finish the season well in terms of our performances and not get too bogged down with results and outcomes.

"That is where we have lost our way a little bit. That is not to say we can relax in any way shape or form but we have to make sure our performances are what we expect. The fact a few Gloucester boys have gone back because Gloucester have problems of their own is out of our control.

"But there are players available now who started games at the beginning of the season and looking towards next year we all have plenty to prove."

Smith will have much the same squad as at Doncaster, where they were hammered 55-5 two weeks ago, although Gloucester wings Dan Norton and Charlie Sharples are expected back along with hooker Ross McMillan. But influential centre Jack Adams is out for a few more weeks with a broken nose.

Smith said: "We have to back ourselves now with anything Gloucester provide as a bonus. The squad we have got is good enough.

"Bedford will be a very difficult game. They caused us a lot of damage down there when we got it wrong.

"We got it wrong twice this season, once at Bedford when we lost 62-17 and once at Doncaster so it is a chance to put it right."