Paul Pritchard warning to his league leaders Instonians

Paul Pritchard’s side have won eight of their nine games but face a tricky Ulster derby at Rifle Park against Banbridge (2pm).

Since a bonus point victory over the Co Down club in mid-December, Inst lost in the Senior Cup quarter-final and last weekend fell short over the Bateman Cup final.

“Just because we are top of that table doesn’t mean that anything is done yet...we just have to try and keep pushing it on and trying to get better,” said Pritchard. “Our big emphasis is just making sure that we bounce back from the defeat against Lansdowne last Saturday and that we just focus on ourselves.

“It really is a season of two halves and we have a tough block coming up here.

"It is really important that we start as strong as possible and we don’t get tired just doing what we have been doing in training and just try to make ourselves better every week.”

With their cup commitments it was a busy festive period for the Shaw’s Bridge club and Pritchard is undecided if that was a good or bad thing.

“It is difficult to say, we came out of both games thinking we could have won both of them and that is coach bias,” he said. “I think the general consensus is that we were very unlucky in both games.

“It is about us getting the message into our heads that we are this standard and we could, hopefully, challenge well enough in this league.

"So it is important that we bring the same intensity, the same tempo and the same physicality that we brought to those games to the next nine league games.

“We have nothing else to focus on now.

"Last season we had a Senior Cup run, unfortunately, we are out of that now but we have nine really important games, which aren’t only important to us but important to Banbridge and important to Cashel the following week.

“We have nine very tough games and if we can bring the level of performance that we brought to those last two games, even though we lost, we should do ok.”

Inst won the first meeting between the sides by 33-21.

“I don’t think Banbridge have played since and we have had two games,” said Pritchard. “We’ll maybe know after the game on Saturday what is best...rest or staying stuck into it.

“It probably feels longer ago for us because we have had two more games and two more teams to think about, where Banbridge have only had ourselves.

“We are trying to make sure we can get the best out of the lads this weekend.

“We were pretty dominant in the first half and they probably won the second half, there is certainly going to be a lot to play for.

“I’m sure their coaching team have done their homework on us over the long break.

"They’ll be saying we were good in the second half and if we can start like that they would fancy themselves.

"We have to make sure we played the way we did in the first half.”

Ballymena host Navan.

It’s derby day in Division 2B as Malone host Dungannon and Rainey visit Clogher Valley.

There is also an Ulster derby in the Division 2C schedule as Ballyclare host Belfast Harlequins, plus Omagh travel to Tullamore.