After putting in a man-of-the-match shift in the Ospreys win over Leicester Tigers on Saturday afternoon, Marty Holah has told supporters to enjoy the occasion, but warned that the biggest challenge lies ahead.
Speaking straight after the match, Holah said:
“It was a very difficult afternoon, there was a lot of effort and lot of pressure being exerted on either side. When it was freed up, I thought we used it very well though. Give Leicester credit they put us under a lot of pressure, especially in that last fifteen minutes. We were a bit under the pump and really had to scramble our defence. We were under the pump at the death and just had to cling on.
“We’ve always believed that we had a good scrum and we knew that we would have a real test today from a Leicester side that is renowned for its ability in the scrum. The front five has to walk away from the game with a really positive feeling about how they went about their business there today, they all performed extremely well.
“Our set-piece has been a little bit up and down, so it was a big area for us to focus on this week. We have to be happy with how we performed in those areas today. Our lineout and scrum went well, and our kicking game was a huge improvement on last week.
“It was effectively a knockout match today and we felt that pressure coming into this week. That’s the good thing about our coaching team, they are really big on working to relieve the pressure off the players and taking it themselves, to allow us to do what we have to do without any distraction. I think we showed that out there today.
“This will give us a big lift, it’s definitely good for the confidence, but our biggest test lies ahead now. We’ll have players going away for the Six Nations, and the biggest test will be to bring everyone together, back into a cohesive unit in time for the quarter-final. That won’t be easy but it’s a challenge that we are used to as a squad, and that we are looking forward to, whoever we find ourselves up against.
“It’s a big day for the Ospreys, and it’s a big day for our supporters, who can enjoy this result and look forward to the rest of the season with anticipation now.”