‘It’s going to be a battle’ – Nielson

Three successive defeats left Bears without a win since mid-February and Nielson insists her team are determined to turn fortunes around heading into the closing rounds of the season.

BOUNCING BACK

“It’s nice to have another game on the bounce to try and put things right. It will be another tough game – every game in this league is,” said Nielson

“We’re looking forward to getting back out there and putting in performance we can be proud of.

“It’s a tough place to go. They [Worcester] have been getting better throughout the season so we know we’re going to be in for a battle. It’s also a derby in way, so it does add an extra bit of spice to the fixture.”

LEADERSHIP

“We’re under no illusions that it has been a hard couple of weeks, couple of months even but I think a positive is that the girls have grown closer and there is a desire to go out onto the pitch and play for each other.

“As a leadership group we need to help guide that and ensure that every has got each other’s back, because it’s not easy going through a patch like this and we all need to be pulling in the right direction.

“The key thing for us is getting the love and enjoyment back in the way that we’re playing, which is hard to do after a couple of heavy defeats.

“We’ve got quality across the park; we just need to be on the same page when we’re out on the pitch and express ourselves and play the rugby we know we’re capable of.”

The Bears have been without a number of key players this season through injury, which has provided a number of youngsters with valuable exposure and game time as Allianz Premier 15s level.

Nielson believes it will benefit the development of those players greatly and provide an exciting future for Bristol Bears Women.  

NEW TALENT

“We’ve had a lot of youngsters come into the side throughout this season, which is really exciting for the future of the club.

“We’ve got 18 or 19-year-old girls, who have a lot of raw talent and it’s about us as collective trying to get them to slot into our systems as seamlessly as possible, so they can focus on what they need to do on the pitch and enjoy the experience.

“I think for the youngsters there is not a lot of pressure, they have a lot of learning to do but this experience is giving them a taste of Premier 15s action and what it takes, which should be a huge benefit to their development.”

Supporters can watch Bristol Bears Women take on Worcester Warriors at Sixways Stadium live on YouTube this Sunday, with coverage getting underway from 1:45pm.

WATCH HERE