Guernsey currently sit seventh, but could move a couple of places in either direction depending on results this weekend when Jordan Reynolds’ men are on the road against already-relegated Worthing.
‘All we can do is look to get a solid win and let everything else fall as it may,’ said the Raiders head coach.
‘If everything went our way then we have the potential to be in that top-six spot we have been chasing all season, so it is still an important game for us, even though we probably have one eye on next week [the Siam Cup].
‘This week it would be good to finish as strongly as we can as a group and it could be our highest league finish ever.
‘Ninth is our previous best and although I will be disappointed at the end of the campaign to a certain degree because we were on track to be even higher at one stage, if we are in the top half with all the injuries we’ve had and all the young players we have had to use, it would still be a remarkable achievement.’
Raiders welcome back Martinas Dromantas, Sam Boyland and Niall McGann for their league finale while Reynolds admitted that a couple of players are being given a week’s more rest ahead of the Siam.
Charlie Simmonds also returns to rugby mode after featuring for the Guernsey cricket team in their Academy Cup tri series last weekend, when several of his Raiders teammates went along to the KGV to support him.
‘Everyone had time off last week and you could tell when they were back training on Tuesday because they all looked pretty fresh,’ Reynolds said.
‘It was good for them to get away from rugby for a while before they jump back in for these last two big games and for Charlie that meant playing a bit of cricket. I think some of the guys played a bit of golf, too.’
Worthing have won just three games all season, but they have been competitive in most their fixtures and have been scoring a lot of points this spring.
‘They were already relegated when they played Westcombe Park last time out and it was a high-scoring game, so obviously they have not given up. Putting 40 points on Westcombe Park is a tough ask,’ Reynolds said.
‘Worthing are a little bit chaotic in their play, they like to throw the ball around, they are a young side who chance their hand a lot more than play structured rugby, so that offers us a challenge for sure.
‘Our aim is to get control of the game through our rugby and build that through the 80 minutes.
‘Recently there have been parts of game where we have been dropping off and we are taking punishment for that, so we cannot afford to do that. It does not mean we have to be perfect, but when we lose momentum we have got to find ways to regain it.’
Raiders team
Bray, Burger, Dromantas, Hackett, Webb, Welch, Rice, Poullet, Boyland, Simmonds, Smith, N McGann, C McGann, Armstrong, Roberts. Replacements: Le Noury, Dunn, Colbourne, Rutledge, Thomas.
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