Following defeat against Worcester Warriors at Goldington Road on Saturday, Bedford Blues will be looking to bounce straight back against Yorkshire Carnegie when they make the trip to Leeds on Sunday 8th March. 

The Blues suffered a 32-17 defeat to former Premiership side Warriors at the weekend having been 17-0 up at half time, but Backs Coach Paul Larkin insists there were plenty of positives to take forward ahead of the Blues’ trip to Yorkshire.

Former Saints man, Larkin believes applying pressure to the opposition was Bedford’s biggest strength in the first half against Worcester and will again be key to success in a hopeful away victory at Headingley Carnegie as the Blues attempt to bounce back to winning ways.

“Saturday’s game was a tough one to take because we defended incredibly well in the first half to establish that lead and then to let it go was incredibly frustrating - not just for the players and the management, but for the fans and supporters who had responded so magnificently in the first half when things went our way.

“We applied some good pressure on Worcester in the first forty to force them into making errors, however they squeezed the life out of us in the second period and we didn't just quite have the wherewithal to change the course of the momentum as the game wore on. Our young players will have learned a lot from Worcester in that second forty as the Warriors found a way of winning while not being quite at their best.

“The positives from the game are that we were able to take the best side in the Championship at present and put them under a lot of pressure for half the game to establish a 17-0 lead at the interval. 

“We need to build on this now, work harder on our in-game management and make sure we apply pressure through both our attack and defence over a more sustained period. Results will come our way if we keep backing ourselves and trust what we do in preparation during the week.”