Schmid: No Excuses

By MARK BENGOECHEA
MIKE SCHMID wants Esher to hit the ground running on Saturday as they bid to get their title challenge back on track after the cold snap.
The National One leaders hope to play their first game since December 12 when Redruth visit Molesey Road.
The game is already in doubt because of the big freeze and there will be a pitch inspection on Friday afternoon.
Director of Rugby Schmid is desperate for the match to go ahead with the huge top-of-the-table clash at London Scottish the following week.
But Schmid insists Esher will not be blaming the weather if their title challenge falters. He said: “We have a ‘no excuses’ environment at the club.
“Yes, the weather is not helping us at all and it’s disappointing because the team are keen to get going again.
“But if we lose games, we lose games, and that’s the end of it. We can’t control the weather but what we can control is our mindset.
“We will be training three times this week and make sure we are in the best possible shape to take on Redruth.
“We pride ourselves on our performance and we will be going out to start the second half of the season as we finished the first half.
“If we don’t play on Saturday then it will be like starting our season again at London Scottish and that’s not ideal. But there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. What will be will be.”
London Scottish are now joint top with Esher after their 33-10 victory over Cambridge and face a huge clash at third-placed Launceston this weekend.
But Schmid remains unfazed. He said: “All we can worry about is what we can control and that starts with Redruth on Saturday.
“They are a very good team with a very physical big pack and they can play, so we know we will have to be very sharp.
“We beat them 23-17 down there and we were patchy at best. We have to make sure we are focused and we have got to attack the game.
“They will cause us problems and we have to be as clinical as we can be. They lost 9-7 to Launceston last week so they will be hungry to put that right.
“We are pretty much halfway through the season and while we had a good first half, we have got to do a better job in the second half if we are to become champions.”
The big freeze did provide one silver lining for Esher as several players were hit by flu last week and were doubtful for the postponed game at Cinderford last Saturday.
Schmid added: “Hopefully the boys will have fully recovered and we will be picking from a full-strength squad.”
ends