Ealing Trailfinders v Yorkshire Carnegie: '˜P' word avoided as Carnegie focus on overcoming first play-off hurdle

For all their primary aim currently and throughout this season has been earning promotion into the Premiership, fly-half Joe Ford insists there can be no energy spent thinking about it now.

As they prepare for tonight’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg at Ealing Trailfinders, most people expect them to reach the final for a shoot-out with, most likely, the heavy favourites London Irish, who face Doncaster Knights on Sunday.

But this is now Carnegie’s sixth attempt at trying to win back a place in the top-flight and they have still yet to even reach a Championship final so they will not expect anything.

Indeed, head coach Bryan Redpath admitted they failed to “handle the occasion” as well as Doncaster 12 months ago, his side getting too “caught up in the semi-final nature” of the game rather than focusing on the match itself.

The consensus is they are better prepared now having finished second, their best return since relegation in 2011, and, in fairness, with a return of “first-past-the-post” promotion next season, they do need to finally achieve it.

Ford was in the side that lost 34-30 on aggregate to Newcastle Falcons in the 2012-13 semi-finals while the margin of defeat the following year – after he had left for Premiership Sale Sharks – was smaller still, just two points separating them from London Welsh.

Ford, who rejoined ahead of this season, told The Yorkshire Post: “With all due respect, this is the best opportunity yet with the squad we have and the way the play-off system works.

“It would mean everything to go up. They are a great bunch of lads here. Brush (Redpath) and the coaches have put so much work into us and it is really important this club gets back into the Premiership.

“But we can’t look past Ealing on Friday first and foremost. We can’t think about promotion; if we do that Ealing will beat us.”

Granted, it is Ealing’s first venture into the play-offs but that did not deter Doncaster last term , the Knights reaching the final and pushing Bristol so close during their maiden dalliance with the top-four.

Ealing finished third, just six points behind Carnegie, which is a remarkable achievement given it is only their second campaign in the Championship and last season they were embroiled in a relegation fight.

However, they have lost three of the four meetings with Carnegie this term, both league matches and one of their two British & Irish Cup contests.

Of course, though, all of that means nothing now as Ford is quick to attest.

“With the play-offs, you go through all those games and then it almost gets thrown out of the window and you start all over again,” said the 26-year-old, brother of England star George.

“It is strange but it’s exciting for the neutrals, at least.

“The lads are feeling quite confident. Ealing have been really good and have improved since the first game of the season when we beat them (30-13) down there.

“It will be close given the very nature of the play-offs but we’re prepared for that and it coming down to just five points or so.

“It is just about winning now; if you win every game the rest takes care of itself. Performance is obviously important but winning is the most important.”

While leaders Irish lost just once during the regular campaign, Carnegie suffered five defeats and, even in victory, were often pushed close by opponents.

Too often they switched off with frustrating spells of inaccuracy or laxness and any repeat of those ailments will surely see their progress ended if not by Ealing then certainly in the final.

Yet, undoubtedly, with players of the calibre of No 8 Ryan Burrows, blindside Ollie Stedman and full-back Chris Elder, they have the quality to prosper and Ford maintains they are ready to deliver when it matters most.

“We’re not making any excuses but we trained really hard all season in the understanding it would come down to these games now,” he said, maintaining they can also handle intense expectancy.

“We’ll be a lot more fresher now going into them and hopefully that will help.

“As for pressure, there’s only the pressure we have put ourselves under to win this semi-final; we’re not really interested about stuff coming in from the outside as we have put enough on ourselves. Ealing have a really good set-piece and we have to be careful of not giving penalties away as they’ll punish us either with kicks or their driving maul.

“And with our exits, too, we have to kick far and long as their back three are good at returning.”

With Tom Arscott and Seb Stegmann both injured and England Under 20s winger Taylor Prell allowed to leave his contract early - subsequently joining Warrington Wolves - Redpath has named Scottish full-back Stevie McColl on the wing.

Ford said: “He’s not played there much, not since he was in the Premiership with Gloucester, I think, but with his quality and experience he’ll be fine.

“It shows the quality we have being able to bring him in.”

Carnegie host Ealing in the second leg in a week’s time.