DJ Creighton confident Queen's will only continue to improve as they look to boost All-Ireland League table position
After collecting five points from their back-to-back games against Old Wesley, Queen’s sit seventh in All-Ireland League Division 1B before a crucial clash with Highfield at The Dub.
Assistant coach DJ Creighton was happy with the performance during last weekend’s try bonus point defeat in Dublin and felt the students could have taken more away from the game.
“I think it was a brilliant win before Christmas and it gave us some nice momentum,” he said. “Last weekend, first game back after Christmas away at Wesley, we were pretty pleased with the performance.
“Wesley are a good side, but we sort of felt that we had done enough to maybe get a wee bit more out of it.
“At the end we got a bonus point but probably left a point out there. There was definitely a stage where the game was in the balance but there were a couple of errors at key times which proved very costly.
"To be fair to Wesley, they were very clinical in terms of their accuracy in attack any time we gave them the ball.
“There is plenty to work on but we’re pleased with certain aspects of our game and I know we’ll get better over the next few weeks.”
Queen’s travelled to Dublin light due to Ulster call-ups and injures, but Creighton believes the academy link with the province is working.
“Ulster have been really supportive with the partnership – we’re just like any team: sometimes you are going to have players and sometimes you are going to be without players,” he added. “It’s just about how you adopt accordingly to make sure you are as competitive and as good as you can be.
“I think it has been brilliant to see some of those guys that have been playing for Queen’s a lot to go on and get senior caps.
“I’m really pleased to see Jack Murphy up there and Wilhelm De Klerk has had exposure to it as well...obviously we miss them but the guys that have come in have been doing a really good job.
“The team on Saturday and the guys that were released to us really stepped up. It is what it is it is – like coaching any team we just have to be adaptable and be as good as we can be based on who we have got.”
The students are five points ahead of Highfield and a win would lift them further away from the relegation battle while suffer defeat and they are right back in the mire.
“It is a massive game for us,” said Creighton. “I was really pleased with the performance when we went down there before Christmas.
"We really controlled the game and put some nice stuff together and defended very well against them.
“We won’t underestimate the challenge – they are an incredibly abrasive side and will be coming up here to try and get a win.
“We’ll have to be at our very best if we want to get a win out of the game...we’re really looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s a big game if you want to look at it that way, but we are just focusing on one week at a time with the team that we have and trying to deal with that challenge the best we can.
“We know Highfield are going to be a big challenge but ultimately we just want to make sure we get the win and potentially that would have big ramifications in the league.
“I just feel we are getting better as a group, but it takes time, and the team can change from week to week. There is a togetherness, we are starting to gel and get comfortable playing with each other.”
Backs Wilhelm De Klerk and Rory Telfer return from Ulster duty while Charlie Irvine and Joe Hopes, who both just penned new deals with the province, form a second-row partnership.