Instonians' double Ulster boost with plan 'about enjoying it now' as season heads into key stretch
Instonians coach Paul Pritchard feels that every game from now to the end of the season will be mammoth.
The Shaw’s Bridge club host Trinity this weekend in a crucial clash - Inst are third in the table, locked on the same number of points as the Dublin students who sit second on points difference.
“I just think this time of the year all games are massive, no matter really where you are,” he said. “There are five games left at least and it's just about enjoying it now.
“The back end of the season comes really quickly...they're all big games and it's just about taking each one as it comes and just trying to hit performance level at the right time.
“I thought we were very good against Highfield, I thought defensively we were very good even though we conceded 38 points.
"But it's just about if we can take that into this week and then try and build a bit of momentum.
“If we win all of our games then we might not have to worry about play-offs...two more games to try and win.
"But I just don't think there's much point in trying to look at ifs and buts...it's just a case of go out, get a performance that you want and then the results should come along with it and then you can do the counting at the end of the season.”
Inst lost by three points when the sides met earlier in the season.
“When we were looking forward into this game, I think we sort of reminded ourselves how unhappy we were with aspects of the performance against Trinity,” said Pritchard. “If you compare that to our away game against Highfield there, we were incredibly happy with the performance.”
Ulster front row duo Callum Reid and John Andrew are available to boost the Inst pack but Pritchard feels the game plan won’t be simply use his pack.
“I think that is maybe a little bit gone when you play student teams, you look when we played Queen’s and the Trinity pack is massive as well,” he said. “It's maybe not the way it was 10 years ago when you had Queen's, you'd try and beat them up front.
"These guys have really good packs now and are really well drilled.
“Certainly we’ll try and get at them in the set piece, we pride ourselves on that no matter who we're against.
“Then it just comes down to being a physical battle...they're good, tough carriers of the ball and they're really dangerous out wide.
"They're a nice team, a good mix.”
Inst are putting the incredible home record on the line – since returning to the AIL they have 32 home wins from 32 home games with 30 bonus points.
“If the shoe was on the other foot I’d certainly want to take the record,” said Pritchard. “They just went above us in the table, they come in off the back of beating the team at the top...so their confidence will be high and I don’t think they will be fearing Shaw’s Bridge.
"That's our job to make sure that in the first 15-20 minutes that they understand why we're so good at home.”
Captain David Whitten is set to miss the rest of the season due to injury.
Armagh host Blackrock while Queen’s travel to Naas.