Director of rugby Harvey Biljon said his side ‘can’t wait’ to get out on their home patch and dispel the memory of a disappointing outing at Kingston Park against high-flying Newcastle Falcons.
The Reds had harboured hopes of a home quarter-final in the Championship Cup if they could have overcome the odds and won their final pool game, but will instead travel away on the weekend of 22 February.
Newcastle, Ealing Trailfinders, Nottingham and Cornish Pirates are the four top seeds and therefore potential hosts for Jersey’s last-eight tie. As seventh seeds, the Reds might expect to face second-ranked Ealing, although the draw – to quote the tournament regulations – ‘may be adjusted’ to keep pool opponents apart.
This would mean that top seeds Falcons wouldn’t host eighth-placed Doncaster, and Nottingham (third) wouldn’t be paired with Scottish (sixth). It’s an uncertain picture, but clarification from Twickenham is expected this week.
Not surprisingly, Biljon was keener to talk about a second-half display in which his side were only narrowly behind their hosts, with the scoreline registering 12-7 across the second 40 minutes.
‘The display was definitely more what I expected in the second half – in the first half not much went our way, including the bounce of the ball and most of the referee’s decisions,’ he said. ‘But these last three weeks [of cup action] have enabled us to give game-time to players and prepare for the resumption of the league programme.
‘As much as the boys will feel despondent after a defeat, I know they can’t wait to get stuck into Scottish in front of our home supporters on Saturday.’
Full report and reaction in Monday’s JEP.
