Saints make their second successive trip to local rivals Truro as they begin their defence of the County Cup.

Last Saturday in a game played in poor weather the Saints ran out 6 - 25 winners against a depleted Truro side who never gave up and made the Saints work hard for the points.

Truro will be grateful for a Saturday off from league pressures having lost 5 of their 6 games so far this season. Strangely a break from the league grind can often reinvigorate a struggling side. In a league situation you can measure yourself against rivals and see where you stand, after all the league doesn't lie, so they say. That in itself can bring about a self-fulfilling situation where a side see that they are occupying a lowly position so play in that way and don't fulfill their potential. Maybe they just can't see how they can get out of the rut they are in

When the cup comes around it is clear that they are the underdogs and nobody really expects them to go well. In addition it is a cup game, a one-off, they don't have to worry about the overall result all they have to do is to enjoy themselves. With the shackles off an underdog can easily beat an under-prepared and over-confident rival.

For the Saints the situation is different. We remind ourselves before every game that the next one is the most important of the season. Those games already played can't be replayed, while those in the future aren't here yet. If we get distracted by either of those situations then we take our eye of the game that is coming up on Saturday.

We are confident in our ability but know that we have to deliver a performance in every game and we can't do that if we aren't concentrating on the game coming up. It is a challenge that so far we have consistently delivered on this season but the early loss to struggling Sidmouth gave us a sobering reminder of what happens if we lose concentration.

Make no mistake, Truro will be incredibly motivated to reverse last Saturdays result and to end our Cup run. To be honest I wouldn't have it any other way, rugby is about testing yourself against other teams and delivering the result no matter the situation. Our job is to make sure that every player and every member of the coaching staff is focused on delivering that performance that gets us into the next round.

There was great support for the Saints last Saturday and it would be brilliant to see that level of support again. Cup games can hinge on the smallest of things and your voice may help cheer us over the line to victory. Kick-off this week is at 2:30 in case extra time is needed so let’s get down and make some noise..... COYS!!!!

Webmasters note: last Saturday at a sodden Truro Rugby Club the Saints fans outnumber any Truro spectators easily 2:1. It’s currently not forecasting to chuck it down (it would have been drier sitting in an Otter’s pocket last week) and in fact it might even be dry and warm...so let’s get to Truro and make some noise again!

Looking forwards to the week after if you want lunch with us you’d better be booking it now as they’re selling fast...details HERE