Press bitesize: Dragons (h) - Challenge Cup quarter final

'A huge opportunity'

Lam on knockout rugby: “The excitement of the guys has gone up another level. To come into a knockout rugby game, with the opportunity that, at the end of that final whistle, you can go into a home semi-final, it’s huge for the club, but also the players.

“I think the players recognise the work that we did to put ourselves in this situation – they certainly don’t want to waste that opportunity and want to be at their best. So, coming in Monday, after the game against Wasps, the boys that didn’t play, who were rested, came in and brought a lot of energy and it was a great session. This whole week there has been a spring in the step.”

Friends reunited 

Lam on doing battle with Dean Ryan: “Dean is a great man, a great coach and the teams he coaches are certainly reflective of who he is – a good man and tough.

“So, there’s no doubt we’ll see that on Friday night – they will be well prepared, they’ve had a couple of weeks to build up for this game, probably longer, so we’re under no illusions."

Ambition

Lam on Bears' ambitions: “We made it clear at the start of the season when we were in this competition, that we were going to go and do our best to win it. We talked about the Premiership being top six as our minimum goal and everything else after that is a bonus.

“To be alive in both competitions with two games to go is fantastic, and to have two games to try and get us into a final to win a trophy, is a real credit to everybody and what they’ve done. However, there’s also that responsibility and that feeling of responsibility to make sure we get the job done on Friday night – and so far, so good as far as preparation has gone.”