Half time talk from Director of Rugby at Lymm, Adam Fletcher

As the second half of the season commences, on 4th January against Alnwick at Lymm, here is Head Coach, Adam Fletcher’s summary of the season to date.

Q: Lymm is lying 6th (out of 14) in the table as 2019 comes to a close, on 33 points. How do you feel about that?

A: We are relatively happy with our current position. It’s a pretty fair reflection of how the season has gone. Obviously we would like to have more points and possibly could have a couple more if it wasn’t for a bizarre refs intervention.

Q: The team has played some great, open, flowing rugby this season. How do you see the remainder of the season rolling out?

A: Hopefully in the same vein. As a coaching team we all have a similar philosophy, we want to move the ball as often as we can. We have a lot of pace so it makes sense to play open rugby.

Q: Your team remains unbeaten on the new AGP. What is your view of the new pitch and, as importantly, what do the players think?

A: I love it. It has already made a huge difference to our training sessions. Numbers have definitely increased and more importantly so has the standard of the sessions. It also seems to bring the best out of the visiting teams so you should see a lot of points over the remaining games.

Q: Your newly blooded colts have begun to have some real impact in the first half of the season, particularly the two wingers, who seem to be starring. How do you feel about the colts production line and what would you like to say to our current colts?

A: The colts and the junior section play a massive part in what we do at Lymm. We have worked hard over the years to keep the production line going. The newly blooded colts have been great for us this season. Joe Senior and Josh Hadland especially have made huge impacts. Play well, get really fit and everyone has an opportunity.

Q: Relegation was a major issue last season but those fears seemed to have eased, would you agree? Where do you think we will end up at the end of the season?

A: We take it week by week. At the moment we are in a strong position but it only takes a couple of poor results to drag us back in to the trouble. I’d feel a lot more confident with a 5pt win against Alnwick.

Q: Which player or players have stood out for you to date this term, and why?

A: There have been a number of great performances thus far. The two boys from Warrington have been great for us, they’ve stepped up and settled in really quickly. James Lewis has come in after six games and has been immennse in defence. Gav Woods is still going strong. A big shout out has to go out to Cormac Nolan, he’s doing a superb job at deputising at scrum half for Shardy and Andy. His goal kicking has also been superb.

Q: The Macclesfield game indicated a few weak spots, especially up front. Do you have any comments about that?

A: We’re not a particularly big side and Macc are. We just need to work hard and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Q: The attritional aspect of this league, and game overall, continues to give you headaches from an injury list perspective. Do you feel the pool of players you have is up to scratch? Where would you boost the squad if you could?

A: We have a great squad of players. There is so much competition for places within the squad, it makes selection very tough. We’ve still struggled with injuries this season, particularly Shardy, James Mawdsley and Andy Davies. Ali Sutherland and Higgo have only played a handful of games but they are close to fitness so selection will only get harder.

Q: As a spectator it has been exciting to watch and your team aspire to play a wonderful brand of rugby when the conditions suit you. Where do you go from here?

A: We just want to keep improving. The squad is strong, if we can get a good run of injury-free rugby we will continue to play a good brand. The boys work extremely hard to get better, the amount of time they put in to this is outstanding. Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Saturday’s are a huge commitment for lads with jobs and young families. I feel privileged to have such a committed squad.

Q: Overall do you want to say anything to the broader membership?

A: The support we get from the club means a lot especially away from home. The atmosphere you guys created at Macc was immense, so thank you, we do really appreciate it. I hope we can continue to play well, let’s be excited about what 2020 holds.