Head Coach Matt Price believes that Bournville will need to take at least 20 points from their last six matches of the season if they are to stay in National Two West.
Bournville’s relegation concerns increased with a second-half collapse at Hinckley on Saturday which saw them ship 40 unanswered points to go down 64-19.
Bourns are now four points behind Macclesfield – who took two bonus points from their defeat at bottom club Devonport Services – and have a maximum of just 30 points to play for in the final weeks of the season.
The confidence Bournville showed in the first two months of the season which took them into an apparently comfortable sixth place at the end of October has seeped away in a run of 11 defeats in the last 12 matches which have yielded just ten out of a possible 60 points.
Bourns face Exeter University at Avery Fields next Saturday and have further tough home assignments to follow against Luctonians and Clifton with trips to Old Redcliffians, Cinderford and Devonport Services in between.
Bournville have yet to win away this season and their only win on the road last season came at Hornets in their final tip of the campaign.
“I would imagine we will need 20-plus points,” Price said.
“Macclesfield will pick up some wins I would think so we have got to win away – we have to win away – if we are to survive and we have to win all our home games.”
To achieve Price’s targets, Bournville will need to be much more accurate than they were on Saturday and rediscover the cutting edge they displayed in the victory over Taunton in January, their sole success since October.
“At Hinckley we were in it at half-time and we had played some good stuff. It was simple rugby, but we were accurate. When we are accurate we put teams under pressure,” Price said.
“I thought the start of the game was brilliant for us. We got the kick-off back, we played tight, punched holes, we passed and we got the ball to the areas we wanted to be and we scored.
“That first score is as simple as rugby can be but we then went away from what was working for us.
“Our error count today would be quite high. Out of the 64 points I’m not sure there were many that Hinckley had to work for.
“That’s the difficult part. We are a side that is down at the moment, we have got a lot of injuries and we have boys who are in and out.
“It’s a difficult spot for us but, as I said to them afterwards, collectively we have got to come together to really challenge to stay in this league.
“To do that we have to be accurate. If our passing, our clear outs, our plays and kicks to touch are not accurate and we don’t play in the right areas this league will kill us. That’s what we are finding at the moment. We are getting punished.
“Individually we are very good rugby players but, collectively, we are not at the moment.”
