Final chance: Bryan Redpath challenges Yorkshire Carnegie ahead of visit to Bedford

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE boss Bryan Redpath says his side still believe they can reach a second successive British & Irish Cup final despite an unenviable position in Pool Five.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Jan 2017, 05:00 BST
Carnegie head coach Bryan Redpath.Carnegie head coach Bryan Redpath.
Carnegie head coach Bryan Redpath.

They must win at Bedford Blues today for any hope of reaching the knockout stages but also then defeat unbeaten leaders Ealing Trailfinders in their final pool game, staged at Scarborough RUFC, next Saturday

Admittedly Championship high-fliers Carnegie, who lost last season’s final at London Welsh, comfortably defeated Bedford 
52-28 when they played in the cup at Selby earlier in the season.

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They also won their B&I Cup game ‘on the road’ at Pontefract, too, beating a Dragons Premiership Select side 20-17 but lost against the Welsh side 22-20 before Christmas and also fell 
51-35 at Ealing in October.

Redpath – who earlier this week announced he would quit at the end of the season to take up a job in the financial sector – said: “We need to get back to winning to stand a chance of progressing.

“We lost our last B&I Cup game but we’ve had a week off and everyone’s come in looking fresh ahead of this.

“We’ve obviously played down at Bedford before and it’s always a difficult place to play.

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“If the wind’s up, it’s the sort of ground where it can get very tricky and you have to take that into account. It’s not the easiest of spots to get going.

“But we’ve done some core skill work this week and worked on certain aspects of our defence, too.

“We’re expecting a physical battle and they’re well coached but we’re all looking forward to this one.”

Carnegie beat Welsh on New Year’s Day in their last outing, a win that strengthened their hold on second place in the Championship where they have lost just once all campaign. Furthermore, they are bolstered by the return of some key players this afternoon, too, with Redpath naming a strong side.

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Last night, Doncaster Knights lost for the third time in three matches in the British and Irish Cup at Munster A.

The former finalists were beaten 24-16 as the end of their hopes of reaching the qualifying stages were confirmed.

Sam Edge scored a late try for Doncaster with 11 points from the boot of Dougie Flockhart.

Related topics:BedfordEaling TrailfindersBedford Blues