Richie Williams: 'Bloody noses' part of learning curve for Cambridge
- Published
Cambridge begin their first ever Championship campaign on 21 October
Cambridge are ready to accept "a few bloody noses" in the Premiership Rugby Cup as part of their learning curve, says director of rugby Richie Williams.
They take on Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday.
Last season's third-tier champions lost 38-11 to Doncaster Knights in their opening match of the competition.
Williams told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire the positives from that game will "have to be elevated even more" against Premiership club Saints.
The game is one of the biggest competitive fixtures in the Blood and Sand's 100-year history and they will also face Bristol Bears, another Premiership side, in their final group match on 6 October.
But they are using the competition as preparation for the start of the Championship campaign against Ampthill on 21 October, their first ever match in the second division of English rugby.
"We've got a special group of players that we are really enthused about and I don't think we've squeezed out all the potential yet. We'll get far better," said Williams.
"We've got to realise that we're going to get a few bloody noses between now and the Ampthill game, but going on what I've seen this week in terms of the training sessions and the positivity about the group, that's what I'm most impressed about."
Williams said the match against Doncaster was all about learning lessons for Cambridge.
"There were a couple of benchmarks that we wanted to get from that game," he added.
"One of them was: were we able to compete on a physical level? I think we were. Set-piece - could we compete? Yes, [but] there were a couple of scrum engagements that we got wrong particularly in the first half.
"There are other areas of our game around getting into the 22 and coming away with points, we weren't quite at the level we needed to be at.
"These are all things that will come over time, the level of cohesion amongst this group will grow, but there were some good things to take away. Set-piece held up really well, the line-out functioned, both sets of our half-backs were really good so there's some encouraging signs there, but that'll have to be elevated even more now going into round two on Saturday."
A young Saints side, with eight players making debuts, also lost their opening game, 48-22 to Ealing Trailfinders, who are an established Championship club and finished second last season.
And two more, wing Tom Seabrook and hooker Curtis Langdon, will make their first starts on Saturday.
Head coach Sam Vesty told BBC Radio Northampton: "Cambridge won't have the firepower Ealing had, but they are going to be very dogged, very scrappy, try to make a real sort of mud fight.
"We want to absolutely combat that and bring our physical game, then put some sprinkles on top of that."
He added: "I really want the group to have another go together because they've done some really good things.
"They have a journey with some ups, some downs, some through the middles, and I want them to have another game at home where they can really get stuck into it."
Related Topics
- Published1 May 2023
