Coach says now’s the time to deliver

Matt Corker is urging his Canterbury Rugby Club players to deliver their best rugby when it matters most. The National League 2 East club play this term’s final three games in April and will visit Oxford Harlequins this weekend, aiming to maintain fourth place in the table. Head coach Corker and his team are five points ahead of red-hot Old Albanian and also clear of Westcombe Park, who are a point further back in sixth.

“When we have been the team chasing other teams, we’ve found that can give you energy,” he said. “Old Albanian - in the place below us - have beaten first (Tonbridge Juddians) and third (Barnes) in the last few weeks. They have got some big games coming up, but we’re only five points ahead.



“It’s just about us getting better every week. We have had a lot of learning experiences and we want to be playing our best rugby when it matters most. “We did some really good things in September but, unfortunately, in April, nobody remembers that.

"It’s about what we do now.” Corker is aware of the importance of ensuring his team end a productive season on a high. He said: “We soon go into a long period without rugby.

“The off-season does go quite quickly but, if you go into a weekend off on the back of a disappointing result, that’s not a nice feeling. "If you do the same in the last game of the season, then you have to have that feeling for even longer. “That’s why we trained on both days last week.

” Canterbury travel to Oxford next up before their final home fixture against title-chasing Dorking seven days later. They are at relegation-bound Colchester on Saturday, April 26. While they were 31-10 winners over Harlequins at Merton Lane in December , the weekend hosts are a different proposition at the Horspath Sports Ground.

“They have got a 3G pitch,” noted Corker. “We had a really good experience away to Havant ( securing a 61-5 victory ), playing on one. “I’m expecting a really big challenge.

It’s my first time going there. “It will be a difficult challenge, but we’re very much looking forward to it.” Coach Jon Foster has left Canterbury Rugby Club, with the Pilgrims having secured the Kent 1 title with last month’s 27-7 triumph at Heathfield & Waldron.

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