"Eight straight victories are just reward for the superb efforts of the players, as we ground out another tight win on the road. Old Reds have a very strong defensive record and were hard to break down. This victory came on the back of outstanding discipline in our defensive patterns, and some very good patience that we showed in our attack.

"We had to overcome all sorts of barriers in order to win, and this included dragging backs coach Marc Dibble out of retirement on the morning of the game due to us losing three scrum halves in the build up to the game. Losing three plays in the 72 hours leading up to a game is bad enough, but when they all play the same position, that is unheard of, and something that we coped with very well. Ruairi Cushion was deemed unfit to play due to an arm injury at training , but then Lloyd Watkins pulled out with illness on Friday night, and his replacement Matt Ryan woke up with illness on Saturday morning!

"Marc Dibble gained the man of the match award for a superb performance, although any of the forwards could also lay claim to the award, such was their work ethic throughout. Richard Cadywould's introduction off the bench at halftime was also a key factor in the game as he made a huge impact with his astute kicking game."

Ends

Picture: Backs Coach Marc Dibble with his sponsor George Nightingale of Spoken Cafe Bar