I WAS pleased that we were able to get the results we were looking for over the festive period, even if our victory over Yorkshire Carnegie was a little unconventional.

We travelled up to Yorkshire on the evening of Boxing Day and drove through snow and icy conditions.

The game itself was played in freezing temperatures and we struggled to stamp our mark early on as we found ourselves 14-0 behind inside the first half-an-hour.

It was the first time this season we had really been behind by a significant deficit and I’m sure at that stage Yorkshire would have been huge favourites to win.

But we showed a different part of our game and illustrated our winning mentality and tenacity by turning the match on its head.

The two tries before the break made it a different game and we ran away with the victory in the second-half with a little help from Sam Smith, who notched four tries.

The players were given a week off after that match to recover from the demands of the first half of the season.

Everyone has worked tirelessly during the opening part of the campaign and sometimes you need a few days away to relax both mentally and physically.

The players have all come back to Sixways in a good place, ready for the business part of the season and focused on pushing this side to promotion come May.

Our Cavaliers side didn’t have as much time off as they had a big semi-final to prepare for against Bath United last Monday.

There was a big crowd at Sixways for the Bath match and I have no doubt that played a part in helping the boys over the line as they came out on the right end of a 37-26 scoreline.

That means they face Saracens at Sixways on Monday for a chance to win the Aviva A-League. We are looking to win trophies on three fronts this season and all the play - ers will be at Sixways to support the Cavaliers.

Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier has done a fantastic job as skipper of the Cavaliers and has really grown through his experience of leading the side.

He is only 22 but has risen to the challenge and has illustrated his abilities. The whole focus of this club is based around developing young players into successful Premiership players further down the line and our run in the A-League has been beneficial to everyone.

January is a busy month for the club as we also have a home B&I Cup quarter- final against Pontypridd to look forward to. Our next few games will set us up nicely for the second half of the season and we will be working as hard as well can to make it a year to remember.