Steve Bates Quotations

You can be reasonably sure you're getting a decent investment there.

We're really looking forward to coming down to Newcastle, playing in front of a big crowd and showing how much we have improved as a side since October.

What is really crucial is that we can consistently hold our own in the front five, that is where teams will attack us and we have to resist that. If we had had a bit more luck and maybe a little bit more experience we could have won two or three more games, what we have got now will close the gap and give us the little bit extra to cross the line in some of those games. We are optimistic but also realistic. We are still at the bottom end, if not the bottom, of the funding ladder and we have to be realistic. If we get injuries we don't have a great deal of depth. If we get a few injuries we might struggle to be competitive.

We gave away a few easy tries but I am still pleased at the way we played. There are one or two things for us to work on but there were positives as well.

The specific risk in individual countries can be very high, and South Africa is not really an exception.

I am particularly delighted that Ben has recovered because he has been a real force for us this season.