Ahead of one of the biggest games London Scottish has faced in year’s we sat down with Head Coach Joe Gray to gather his thoughts before at titanic matchup. He previews Blackheath, speaks about bouncing back from last weekend’s disappointment and managing the pressure of a big game.

“Last weekend was tough to take for the whole Club, we felt that we prepared well in the week but sometimes that just doesn’t translate onto the field. We were out muscled and out thought frankly and it wasn’t good enough for our standards. The changing room was a bit of a dark place on Saturday evening but we knew we had to pick ourselves back up and get firing this week.

I’ve been so pleased with the way the boys have reacted to the game on Saturday, they’ve come in with renewed energy and focus this week knowing the task at hand. We reviewed last week and then parked it, knowing we have to be much more physical and disciplined, espeically against a side like Blackheath.”

“Blackheath are a side that like to build pressure and win the tight exchanges, they’ve scored a lot of tries from driving maul so we can’t let them have too many entries. That comes down to being disciplined, if we keep our penalty count down then they can’t get into our 22 to score points.

Equally we have to front up physically, if we can stop them on the gainline then we can prevent them from building momentum and then impart our game onto them.”

Speaking on the enormity of the occasion Joe said, “there’s pressure no doubt, it’s a huge game and means a lot to the players, staff and everyone associated with the Club. However, we’ve got to channel that into something positive, embrace the challenge and take the game to Blackheath. It’s going to be a bouncing atmosphere at the RAG on Saturday so if we get it right it can be a really special day to be a part of.”