PLAYERS and staff will think hard as they prepare for a ‘humdinger’ at Ealing next weekend, as the Championship’s two unbeaten sides look to make the first major move in 2022/23.
Macauley Cook, captain-for-the-day as Jersey Reds made it two from two in Pool 1 of the second tier’s cup competition, admits it is a ‘big week’ for the Island club as they attempt to make a statement for the remainder of the campaign. In doing so, they would end a torrid run against group rivals Ealing.
Jersey have lost nine games in a row to the London side in all competitions, spanning back to November 2018.
Discussing the 55-24 win over Hartpury on Saturday, Cook said: ‘We did well in second half as a team. We stuck to our plan. In the first half we went off script a bit. Some individual brilliance got us a few tries but in the second half we stuck to the team message and individuals within that were able to score some good tries. And I think this is the first time we’ve had the weather for it.
‘We pride ourselves on the set piece and that went well in terms of scrum time and the mauls. We had joy off the back of that and the boys has some big carries as well.
‘But we put that to bed now, with the bonus point, and look forward to Ealing.’
On the trip to Vallis Way this coming Saturday, he added: ‘We’re both undefeated so far … it’s going to be a humdinger. We’ll review this game, review Ealing and try to come up with a plan to get a result there.’
