I had met the Club Captain in the Members' Bar a couple of times before. We had spoken about his background and, in the week before last season's EDF Cup Final, we had run the rule over our prospects for the match. It was time to talk rugby.

We left the scrum that had developed indoors and took in the glory that is Piggy's Patch on a bright, sunny day.

The Premiership has not changed that much in our year away from it. It is still tough. As the club is a living embodiment of the phrase: anyone can beat anyone else on a given day, it demonstrates the fine margins there are between winning and losing. If the mindset is right, everything is fine; if it is wrong, catastrophe.

It is not like we hate bonus points; we just do not seem to be able to pick them up. It would be better all round if we could win away from home or, at least pick up some bonuses when we do not. There is no doubt that the squad works hard to get things right but it is just not happening so far.

Talk at the start of the season was of the Experimental Law Variations and, in the first few weeks at least, the refereeing protocols that seemed to cause consternation amongst players. Bruce thinks that most things have settled down now. The new laws have not made that much different to the way the team is prepared for a game. With so many penalties being awarded, it was natural that defenders should be worried about being caught in possession. There is much less aerial ping-pong now because players look up and see what is in front of them. If the chase is good and the line is ‘up' quickly, the best option is probably to kick and look again. As a team, we are better when we attack with ball in-hand. If we can see that option, it is always first choice.

The high-water mark for penalties was when Wasps visited us. Mr White blew thirty-four. Like other changes at the start of the season, there seem to be fewer nowadays. Does that mean teams are staying on their feet and allowing fair contest? Not necessarily but there does seem to be more flow to the game. Against Saracens, in the first half, there was not a lot of contest at the breakdown. One or two of the forwards, (Nacho? Yes), were unhappy with the bodies on the floor but we raised our game in the second half and took the win.

Nacho is an acknowledged leader in the squad. He is one of the new players to have come in and made a big difference. Yes, he is one of the clowns, too but he is thoroughly professional in his approach to his work. He is not alone in having made a difference. Our rebuilt back row is a major contributor to the way we play and the success we have had so far. Lee Dickson and Ben Foden were also mentioned as being key.

Juandre Kruger has come from an environment at the Bulls where the line-out is known to be first class. Practices he has brought with him seem to have made our line-out a more reliable source of good possession.

Having mentioned one clown, I asked Bruce about Chris Ashton. Cutting such a swathe through last year's division, what is it that explains his apparent loss of form and confidence this season? National League One was a good introduction for him and it gave him a good grounding in the game. Premiership is a big step up. It is faster and more physical. It is more difficult for us to get the ball to him with anything like the space he enjoyed. He will come back though. He works hard in training and wants nothing more than to get back into the side.

It does not help that the guys keeping him on the sidelines are playing so well. Digger, in particular, has played well. He has scored tries and is great in defence. The tackle to deny Alex Goode came to my mind so I asked. The move where somebody cuts back against the grain of play - it is not the first time that it has yielded dividends against; Ugo Monye scored with it - what goes wrong? Why does the gap develop to the extent that it makes us vulnerable? Against Saracens, apparently, forwards were a bit slow in disengaging from the previous phase. If it is noticeable to someone sitting in the South Stand, what do the video analysts make of it? A laugh. We would not be human if we did not make the occasional mistake.

In signing off, I asked about Bruce's thoughts on the departure of Carlos Spencer. It came as a bit of a surprise. He does not know what actually happened but he has nothing but respect and admiration for the man and the player. He really is a king of attacking rugby. It is sad that he has gone. He was a great member of the squad and is missed.

As you might expect from a Kiwi, Bruce has no truck with Marmite. For him it has to be the big antipodean competitor, Vegemite. To add to my fund of coaching tips he recommends: be honest! Tell it like it is not how you want it to be.

arw

24.02.2009