The second round of the South Eastern Conference Plate sees East London Rugby, fresh off a rest week, travel to North London to play against City University this Wednesday.
East London have already bettered their cup performance from last year when they beat their local rival, Greenwich, comfortably last week. But much more is expected of the current side.
Returning Star
It’s already been an injury hampered season for East London, but back-to-back competitive wins for the first time in this campaign and return of star fly-half Emmanuel Varlez to the starting line up should give the team a necessary boost to advance into the next round.
City University currently reside in the league below East London, but are enjoying a good start to the season as they sit second place. They are also coming off two consecutive competitive victories, so will be confident coming into Wednesday’s fixture.
The game will be played at City University’s home ground of Haringey Rhino’s RFC at 2pm. The winner will advance into the third round of the cup.
A Word From the Captain: “This weekend we have a cup game against city of London 1st team. In the build-up, if we get out processes right, I’ll be quietly confident that we have what it takes as a squad to beat them. We faced them twice two years ago in the lead and ran out comfortable winners so I’m hoping for the same this week but we must prepare right.”
Player Focus: Emmanuel Varlez (Above)
This week’s player focus, is second year East London fly half, Emmanuel Varlez.
Coming back from injury into such an important game, how are you feeling ahead of your return?
“Coming back from an injury, I feel a bit nervous and cautious that I may injure myself again. However, due to the importance of the task, my mind isn’t toward the injury, but it is set on the task that I have in the match.”
This is the biggest game you’ve played yet for UEL, are the team feeling the pressure of a cup game?
“I am not feeling any pressure because I know my own abilities and I know that we have a good team. However, pressure arises due to factors such as number of players available, which sometimes brings pressure to perform.”
What will you do to prepare this for this Wednesday’s game?
“When I prepare for a game I make sure that the day before I eat the right nutrients to id performance the next day. Also, during match day I make sure I am hydrated and have a good healthy breakfast.”
You’ve spent some time on the sidelines, what are you going to add on Wednesday based on what you’ve seen?
“What I am going to bring to the team is tempo and noise. I believe that this is important as it will encourage players to keep on working and also keep the opposing team on the back foot.”
