stale New Year pudding after the feast on Boxing Day

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I believe there is something of an overreaction to yesterday’s game and the lack of intensity shown by the side and I agree Rob and the coaches will address it before we meet with Gloucester.

However, spare a thought for the players and the intensity they have shown in their games so far and many of them with very little rest because of the nature of this congested season. We have also had a number of injuries and sadly that will always be the case but because we have to play week in week out this season some of the players are mentally and physically knackered.

I know they are professionals and are supposed to be fit and I believe they are very fit but it isn’t easy being in a car crash every week as the modern game is now compared to. Mentally we are in a rarefied atmosphere and are learning on the hoof how to cope. In our brief history in the Premiership, sides have always wanted to beat us but now they want a scalp because we have become a real target to beat and they take a massive morale booster to those sides that achieve the task.

I now believe we can win against any side we come up against, home or away. Indeed we all now have an expectation of such and are therefore surprised when we lose the odd game. We have 14 games remaining in the league season and we will probably lose four or five of them but don’t ask me which ones they will be because I don’t have an answer.

What it does mean is that if we lose five of our remaining game we will have won eight and collected at least six bonus points of one sort or another which would give us 72 points and a guaranteed top four finish.

As far as the current crop of injuries is concerned, fear not, we’ll get through it and when the business of closing out the season is upon us it is probable that all will be back and raring to go. If my prediction of 72 points becomes fact we’ll also have a home semi final and then I really will fancy our chances.

Happy New Year to all, fasten your seat belts and get ready to enjoy the ride it’s going to be fun.

I totally agree with these views, especially when we consider who we have played in the past month. The lads gave their all against Clermont at home in, arguably, our best ever win, then got beaten up by one of the best sides in Europe who were determined to exact revenge. Then we met one of the most physical of the premiership teams in very difficult conditions but prevailed. Add the oft quoted injuries to the battered & bruised bodies of the fit (?!**?) players and I think we did remarkably well to get the LBP. At least we have the extra day to recover before Glaws come to town.

"Stale" is the right word for yesterday's display, at multiple levels. Wouldn't have enjoyed the match if I had been a neutral and from a Chiefs perspective...well that's the first time this season that we have never looked like winning a match(we even led briefly in the caning by Clemont). Credit to NOrthampton for managing to smother us though.

Still, given our Premiership campaign so far, I'm happy to live with this. If the target is to remain on course for the playoffs then we still have a significant cushion to work with. No shame to lose at Franklin's Gardens, let's just focus on trying to keep our unbeaten home run going next weekend.

Put your minds back 12 months when we had lost three games and were about to lose a fourth. In our last three games we have picked up eleven points. We were poor against Saints but I don't think they were much better. Conditions were awful and injuries meant we had to constantly re-jig.
My glass is half full, bring on Glaws, the extra day off is a bonus!