Bridgman: Gosport must not get over-confident

The Dolphin Crescent outfit delivered a superb 40-10 victory against their Wandsworth-based opponents in London two south west at the end of November.

Gosport produced some of their best rugby of the season against the Exiles and they are hoping to use it as a springboard for a long-awaited away win.

Bridgman’s troops are gunning for back-to-back successes at basement side Effingham & Leatherhead tomorrow (2pm).

But the coach has insisted Gosport must not get over-confident.

He said: ‘Our opponents are at the bottom and that will make them fight even harder – especially at home.

‘I expect them to be a tough nut to crack.

‘Our win against the Exiles was excellent. We showed we are capable of playing good rugby. However, we must not allow ourselves to get too carried away with it.

‘We need to continue our climb away from the relegation zone.’

In Hampshire one, Fareham Heathens travel to third-placed Millbrook.

Bernie Rhodes believes his side can overcome the setback of having a number of players missing.

‘Millbrook have always been a tough side and we certainly know what to expect,’ the Heathens director of rugby said.

‘We have an availability challenge due to a combination of work commitments and injuries, but we are more than confident we will field a competitive team.

‘Millbrook have an eight-point advantage over us and it would be great if we could close that gap.

‘Our next set of games are against teams above us in the league. Picking up results and points will be critical.’

Joint head coach, Dave Wheaton, added: ‘The guys who stepped up last week did a great job, playing with conviction and skill.

‘Most of the guys who stepped up come training week-in, week-out.’