Keep calm and drive on is the war cry for Foresters

PATIENCE will help Cinderford drive their maul into key strike weapon status, believes Lee Fortey.

The Cinderford forwards coach has called on the Foresters to keep calm when forming the maul – and then drive on.

Cinderford host Wharfedale at Dockham Road tomorrow (kick-off 2.30pm), looking to bounce back from last week's slender 19-12 defeat at Esher.

Two questionable yellow cards stymied Cinderford's victory chances, but Fortey believes the result has not stunted progress.

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After several weeks where the lineout catch and drive failed to hit desired standards, Fortey said the Foresters forwards have battled hard to sharpen the point of that driving maul.

Calling for a considered set up of the craved driving ploy, Fortey explained: "We'd been a bit frustrated with it to be honest, because we had a few weeks where we were setting it up well, but then allowing teams to disrupt it.

"So we spent a bit of time just looking into that and trying to solve those problems.

"And in the last couple of weeks it's been much better.

"One of the key elements is patience, we really don't need to rush building the maul.

"It doesn't have to work perfectly the first time, you have chances to have another go at it, shift around, get the roll on and go again.

"That's what we've been looking at with the lads and I think it's helped.

"The challenge now is to keep it going, because it's a pretty important weapon in this league.

"Pretty much every team at this level has a powerful catch and drive, and we know we need one that's for sure.

"It's about mindset as much as anything else, making sure you approach it the right way every time, staying calm but focused – and then pulling it all together.

"If we have the opportunities for a catch and drive close in, then we want to come away from that with points."

Calling on Cinderford to make Dockham Road a 'nasty' experience for opponents, Fortey said the side are keen to extend their unbeaten home record.

He continued: "Holding onto that unbeaten status is a big challenge for us.

"We want to make this ground the kind of place where people don't want to come – we want to make it a nasty place for other teams to play rugby.

"We've had a decent start at home and now we need to build on that. It was frustrating to lose at Esher last week.

"But the way the players shrugged off the yellow cards was pretty pleasing.

"We're still developing all the time and some of the younger players are still working out what it's like to play against some of the sides in the league.

"We stuck to our guns but didn't get the result – but we're still progressing pretty well."

CINDERFORD: M Wilcox, S Caven, J Adams, R Winchle, L Stapleton, M Davies, A Frame, J Brooks, T Bozzard, T Heard, B West, D Critchley, L Allen, W Foden (capt), G Evans. Replacements: L Green, N Woodward, E King, J Garner, K Done.

■ GLOUCESTER season ticket holders can take advantage of discounted entry to Cinderford's clash with Wharfedale – then watch the Cherry and Whites take on Harlequins in the Dockham Road clubhouse.

Cherry and Whites season ticket holders can gain entry for £8 rather than the usual £10.