The Werner Swanepoel column

TOP of the league. It's very nice to be there and say it.

Certainly after the performance and result at Plymouth, in extremely difficult circumstances, we feel it is well deserved.

It was everything we thought it might be -- horrendous weather, heavy going, niggly opposition and a hostile crowd. The great thing, though, was that we stuck to our beliefs and tried to play rugby despite the distractions.

If I go back to the summer when all the players joined up together for the first time, Andy Keast made it clear that he did not want us to alter our style of play because of the conditions. I think we all looked at one another and said 'pull the other one!'. But he has been proved right and Saturday showed that. We all believe now that we can play with the ball in hand in whatever conditions.

Not only do we believe it, we feel it is the best way for us to get a result. We know we can do it now. Andy has always had the confidence in the players and I think that confidence is now instilled in the squad. For me, it was a defining moment for the players because they can go from strength to strength now.

Most coaches and sides would have kicked the ball away at Plymouth with such driving rain but we stuck to our guns and kept on plugging away. We'd scored three tries by half time and, with a little bit of luck, could have already wrapped up the bonus point by then.

In the end, we had to wait until the 79th minute for the fourth try but that doesn't matter. The main thing is we achieved our goal. With Rotherham dropping their first bonus point of the season at Birmingham & Solihull, our ninth five-point haul of the campaign took us top and it is somewhere we intend to stay.

However, it is easier to get to the top of the league than to stay there and the hard work for us really starts now. Yes, we are top but that doesn't really count for anything in November! It is an encouraging sign for us but that is all.

We've got one league match before we travel to Rotherham on November 23 and we must make sure that against Wakefield at Sixways we don't do anything silly. We have made progress since the start of the season but we certainly feel that there is a lot more to come.

There is nothing wrong in a bit of pressure on yourself or the opposition and if we keeping picking up five points per match, we can put Rotherham under some pressure now.

We now turn our attention to the Powergen Cup and a home tie with Manchester on Saturday. It is a great opportunity for some players to take a rest after such a battering at Plymouth and a few to make an impact.

New signing Tim Walsh comes in for his first game since his switch to Sixways last week and I must say that he has settled in very well. He came on in that monsoon at Plymouth and kept his composure well which is a sign of a top player. He wasn't flustered by the conditions and, despite only having three training sessions behind him, slotted into our game plan superbly. Indeed, he won the penalty which led to our final try at Beacon Park with some quick thinking and looks a real talent.

I am playing in the match to give me some game time really because I've only been back a week after my suspension. It was good to be back but you need to be playing more than just once before you get up to speed.

We could see James Ogilvie-Bull for the first time at Sixways if Gary Trueman does not recover from a shoulder injury and I think he would see it as a a great opportunity to make a name for himself. He has been unfortunate that he suffered a concussion injury in a United match early in the season and had to take the three weeks off because of that. But with Ben Hinshelwood on Scotland duty and Trueman struggling, he may have the ideal opportunity to stake a claim ahead of that Wakefield match.

The same goes for players such as Craig Gillies and Dan Zaltzman while Hugo Southwell gets another go at full back. Hugo enjoyed himself at Bracknell in the last round and he will cause Manchester problems with his pace.

Having already played each other once this season we know all about their players. They must be commended for trying to play rugby when we met them at Grove Park and I think their attitude is one which some National One teams could follow because on that day, they scored four tries against us and collected the bonus point.

They will fancy their chances on Saturday and the game has all the ingredients of a top cup match. We know if we beat them and then either Waterloo or Halifax that we are on course for a mouth-watering showdown at Leicester.

However, much like our league position, we must concentrate on the game in front of us and at Sixways we will be giving Manchester all the respect they deserve.