Kerr urges players to forget cup exit

The leaders travel to Dunlop on the back of their RFU Midlands Intermediate Cup exit at the hands of Kidderminster Old Carolians with Kerr keen to make sure there is no hangover from the defeat.

Kerr said: “We knew it was going to be a tough game, Kidderminster are no strangers to us and ultimately they handled the conditions better than we did.

“Their ball retention was very good but there were only a couple of penalties in it and they didn’t outplay us.

“There wasn’t much between the two sides, conditions were bad for both teams and it was never going to be a game for running rugby but we played it hard and attacked their back line.

“Our line speed wasn’t so good and if you allow good teams like Kidderminster to come at you they will cause problems. That is something we will work on in training this week.

“I told the players afterwards that when a setback like Saturday happens, good teams do not allow it to affect their next game. The league has always been our priority and we can’t dwell on what might have been.”

While Bulls travel to Dunlop nearest title challengers Earlsdon make the short trip to Pinley who inflicted one of only two defeats on Kerr’s side earlier in the season.

Matt Goode will be out for a couple of weeks with a pulled hamstring but Ian Isham and Sam Stoop, who both missed the cup game, come back into the reckoning for Saturday.

Meanwhile, Bulls will have to wait to find out who they face in the last four of the Oxon Knockout Cup.

Bulls were handed a walkover when Wallingford pulled out of Sunday’s quarter-final tie at Bodicote Park.