Bournville’s Head Coach Matt Price said that his side’s 49-7 defeat at Loughborough Students on Friday night demonstrated the difference between the part-time and full-time players.
All of Bournville’s players have to combine their rugby commitments with full-time jobs which meant that they had to travel to Loughborough having already done a full day’s work.
In contrast, Loughborough’s players have a full weekly programme of training, rehabilitation and analysis which allows them to prepare for matches as a full-time side would.
“I said to the boys that I couldn’t knock them because they have all been at work today. Freddie Morgan was on a digger at six o’clock this morning and another was working down in Southampton, until two o’clock this afternoon” Price said
“I spoke to Loughbrough’s general manager and he said they were in for rehab and stretches at 9.30. It’s a very different world. They are athletes and if you make a mistake whether individually or collectively you get punished.
“They punished us. In that 60 minute period after the first 20 we didn’t really get a foothold and they punished us.
“What I was happy was that our intensity in pockets was very good. In the last two weeks we have come on leaps and bounds and I don’t what that scoreline to deflate the boys.
“In the way that we have played and been accurate, we have made some really big strides. But when you come up against a side like Loughborough you have to be accurate for 80 minutes. We weren’t and they punished us.”
Bournville led for 24 minutes after hooker Ben Rhodes was driven over for an early try but two more attempts to score with driving mauls were repelled by Loughborough who then grew in confidence and, having levelled before the break, then scored 42 unanswered points in the second-half.
“When you have a team that are weak in certain areas then you have to forget every other area and hammer those areas. We didn’t. We sort of dipped in, got reward and dipped out and tried other bits. That doesn’t work we have to learn as a side that when we find a weakness we go at it,” Price said.
“We don’t quite have it at the moment but it will come. This group is a learning group and young group and they will learn from these moments.
“I said to them not to be down or disheartened. This is a big learning step for us and we will move forward from it.”
Bournville now have a week off before they return to National Two West action against Hornets at Avery Fields on February 8.
The players will be given a week off to recover from what was a bruising encounter at Loughborough with prop Stef Thorp, centres Rob Knox and Alex Grove, , number eight Jasper Smith and Rhodes among those who required treatment during the match.