Esher’s Schmid cracks whip

Posted on Sep 6, 2011 in Championship, English Rugby, Esher

By MARK BENGOECHEA

Esher have been warned to keep their discipline to challenge Championship title contenders Bedford at Molesey Road on Saturday.
The Surrey side gave away 18 penalties and had two players sin-binned in their 22-11 defeat at Plymouth last weekend in their league opener.

Now Director of Rugby Mike Schmid has told his players there cannot be any repeat against a Blues side who rattled up 84 points in two comprehensive wins over Esher last season.

Esher were also victims of some bizarre refereeing decisions at Plymouth but Schmid insists they must put their own house in order before making any criticism of the official.

Schmid said: "We had 18 penalties against us, 10 at the scrum, and you can’t win any match by giving away that number of penalties. Our discipline has to improve.

"Some I didn’t agree with, especially at the scrum, but some were certainly self-inflicted and there is no excuse for that.

"We should have had a penalty try in the first half when Plymouth gave away three penalties on their own line but then the fourth penalty went against us after they had had somebody sent to the sin-bin.

"That was a key point in the game and within 90 seconds we had conceded a try at the other end.

"Then two minutes before half-time we had Mark Atkinson sin-binned, which was absolutely justifiable, and we lost confidence and our momentum after that. Yet I had been pleased with our first-half performance."

Esher also had replacement prop James Gethings sin-binned at Plymouth.
Esher’s points came from two Atkinson penalties and a Shawn Renwick try while outside centre Charlie Walker impressed on his league debut.

Schmid refused to discuss the performance of Brickfields referee Ross Campbell but revealed he has arranged to meet referees’ chief Steve Leyshon this week to discuss his concerns.

He said: "Obviously there were differences between our interpretation of the rules and the referees’ so I’m going to have a chat with Steve to discuss the issues."

Schmid is struggling with a huge injury list with 13 seniors players sidelined but he insists Esher can still upset the odds against Bedford, impressive 28-26 winners at Nottingham in their Championship opener.

He said: "Bedford are a very good side and narrowly lost to Worcester in the Championship semi-finals last season so we know how difficult it’s going to be.

"They retain the ball for long periods so it’s up to us to defend well and then make sure we take our opportunities when they come because you will only get three or four against them.

"Our discipline has to be as good as it can be. We simply can’t give away inexcusable or lazy penalties.

"We have got to go and play with our heart on our sleeves and if we keep our error count low and our discipline, then we can still be in the game at 60 minutes and then anything can happen."

But Schmid expects to be without the services Luke Wallace with the dual registered back row recalled to Harlequins after Tom Guest suffered a double fracture to his left arm in the Premiership win over London Irish.

Rotherham first up in four home games in February for the Bees

Posted on Jan 31, 2011 in Rugby News

Rotherham Titans are the visitors to Damson Park this Wednesday (2nd February kick off 7.45pm) in what will be the first of four home games for the Bees this February.

The midweek game against the visitors from South Yorkshire is the Championship game that was originally due to be played on Boxing Day, but fell victim to the then near arctic conditions.

In a frank assessment of the Bees second half capitulation against Moseley on Saturday, Bees Director of Rugby Russell Earnshaw described the game as “a huge wake up call for all involved”.

Speaking in his ‘Coaches Corner’ piece on the Club’s website, Earnshaw said, “Moseley were more physical than us as a team – the breakdown was certainly hotly contested and they turned us over three times more than I would like. They tested our discipline and we were far too nice. They certainly punished our mistakes and the two crucial tries midway through the second half came from us making basic errors in our own 22. We never recovered from this and, rather than getting tighter as a team and focusing back on the game plan, our unconscious minds took over and we went off as individuals and tried to win the game on our own.”

“On watching the game both live and then afterwards on DVD, it was like we had revised for a big test, got the first few questions right then had a complete memory blank and panicked. In particular, those that drive the side from key positions did not have the ability to reflect, relax and get us back on plan.”

“So how do we move on from here? Playing together and shared experiences over the next few weeks will play a big part but our main goal is to remain positive, do not be tempted to blame others or look for excuses and to work harder than we already are. Learning from this experience is crucial. We can then look to build sustainable confidence and belief.”

The Bees will get an early opportunity to get back on track with the visit of Rotherham, who are currently lying in 7th place in the Championship table and also suffered an away defeat over the weekend – in their case a narrow 23-19 loss to Esher. Currently on 32 points along with 8th placed Plymouth Albion, Rotherham will be looking for a win to take them clear of a Relegation Playoff berth.

As an extra incentive to all fans, entrance to Wednesday’s game will be just £5 for Adults, with Concessions and Children free.

February will also see further league action at home for the Bees against Bristol on Sunday 6th, as well as the all-ticket final Stage 1 Championship game against high-flying Worcester on Saturday 19th. Finally there is another visit from Rotherham scheduled on the 27th for the concluding match in the B&I Cup Pool stages.

Coach Kingsley wants discipline against Leeds

Posted on Feb 18, 2010 in Rugby News

Kingsley Jones is preparing for Sale Sharks Guinness Premiership match against Leeds Carnegie this Friday by concentrating on discipline.

Jones admits, “Leeds will be hard to beat. They’ve got a good set piece and they’re desperate for a win. It’s a game that a lot of things hinge on so we really need to improve our discipline in our game.”

(more…)

Winners get automatic entry to next years HEC

Posted on Sep 30, 2009 in Rugby News

The landmark 15th season of Heineken Cup rugby will feature a number of changes and initiatives.

WINNERS

The winner of the Heineken Cup final at Stade de France on Saturday, 22 May, 2010, will automatically qualify for the 2010/11 tournament. The winners will also earn their nation an additional place in the tournament. The same applies to the winners of the newly titled Amlin Challenge Cup. However, England and France, who have six automatic places, will be capped at a maximum of seven teams, so if either country wins both the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup the second additional spot will pass to the club with the highest ERC European Ranking who has not qualified from any of the other five nations.

(more…)