Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club aiming for victory over Cannock to wrap up Women’s Championship Midlands 2 title

Head coach Liam Leeson is confident that his Bury St Edmunds side will be able to deal with the size of the occasion as they aim to wrap up the league title on Saturday.

With second-placed Old Albanian Saints II unable to go up, Bury are already assured of their promotion. However, a bonus-point victory over visiting Cannock at the Greene King IPA Haberden tomorrow (2pm) will ensure that Leeson’s team move on as Women’s Championship Midlands 2 champions.

It is hoped that a bumper crowd will be watching on, while a pre-match lunch will also add to the levels of expectancy and pressure.

However, Leeson believes that his squad will remain grounded.

He said: “This is year two of a three-year plan. Last year we wanted to be competitive each week and we did that. We finished third and that was our highest ever position.

“This year the goal was to be promoted and although we’ve done that, we want to be promoted as champions. We don’t want to go up with asterisk next to our name.

“We’ve done so well all season, but this is obviously now our biggest challenge. We’ve got to make sure we use our energy in the right way.

“For the last four or five weeks we’ve had to keep winning with bonus points and that’s been a mental challenge more than anything else – now we have to do it one more time.

“It’s going to be a big event. We’ve got the lunch, we’re hoping for a good crowd but we can’t let the occasion get the better of us. We’ve dealt with it well so far and I’m sure we will again.”

Should Bury get over the line at the weekend, Leeson and the players will be able to reflect on a job well done.

And what has been particularly pleasing for the coach is the collective effort, rather than an over reliance on one or two individuals.

He added: “When I first came in we were inconsistent. We’d get a good win and then we’d go away and get stuffed.

“Firstly we had to instil some belief into the group and then it was about backing up performances and staying in games. And if we can’t win, let’s make sure we get a losing bonus point.

“We started to train twice a week, the girls do their extras and all of their strength and conditioning work. They really look after themselves and it’s made a big difference.

“And the big thing is we’re a team. It’s not just about one or two players scoring all of the tries. We score lots of team tries, our set piece is good and everyone is contributing.”