Paul Deacon has spoken to the media ahead of this weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup Round 2 fixture with Edinburgh Rugby, we have listed the key talking points below:
Update on the availability of Tom Curry and Jono Ross this weekend:
“Tom is fighting fit, feeling good and is currently in his compulsory rest period after England duty and will be back very soon. As you know Jono had to leave the field on Saturday due to a HIA and won’t be available this weekend due to concussion protocols, but he’s feeling ok and he’s up and around at Carrington, so we aren’t expecting him to be out for too long.”
Reflections on the Toulon match:
“The way we finished the game was very pleasing but looking back at the game performance wise, we were pretty good. We just lacked the finishing touches at times and if we could have converted the early opportunities into a try it would have been a different game. The scoreboard ran away from us a little bit in the first half, I thought a couple of the penalties they scored were 50/50 and could have gone either way but these things happen in rugby.”
“Despite that I was really pleased the way we stuck at it despite the score, we had an inclination that Toulon would tire later into the game and the bench came on and did a great job for us. We scored some nice tries which was pleasing, nobody here likes to lose but if we keep on the right track performance wise then the results will follow.”
“Every game matters to us, we won’t be throwing the towel in, we want to win, especially at home this weekend.”
A week on from Dimes’ Departure, how’s it going?
“It was a whirlwind last week, but I honestly really enjoyed it and I’m enjoying this week too. I’m in a position now where I have to make tough decisions, on team selection etc but I’m wholeheartedly looking forward to the experience ahead and enjoying it so far. If anything, the last week has made me want to take this opportunity even more. It’s still early days, I’m a realistic, laid-back kind of guy and I’m obviously inexperienced in this role as it’s my first time doing it, but so far so good, I’m pleased with how it’s going. The coaching staff here have been together a long time now, we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so im hoping it can work well.”
“I’ll be honest, going to Toulon was a little bit scary, I was nervous before the game. There are a lot more decisions to be made during the game regarding substitutions etc and everybody is looking at you for the answers, but I did feel ready for it and I enjoyed it in the end. I just hope the lads are enjoying the way I’m dealing with things, and we can all be in this together.”
Have your hours increased with the new-found responsibility?
“I obviously have to think about a lot more things now which I haven’t had to before, and it takes time, but I’ve enjoyed that and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it. The Biggest change for me personally is that everything is always on your mind. There’s always people to talk to, players to talk to, decisions to make and I want those things done correctly and in the right way and I pride myself on that. One thing I need to make sure is that I do get some down time myself and don’t burn myself out in order to keep those standards.”
