UNBEATEN, but not unbeatable – that is Bristol lock Glen Townson's assessment of his former club, Newcastle, ahead of tonight's key Championship game at Kingston Park.
Barring a freak situation where Bristol collect two bonus points in defeat and Leeds go down at home to Nottingham without collecting a single point, Bristol will have to end Newcastle's 100 per cent record to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs.
Former Newcastle Falcon Glen Townson will return to Kingston Park
But lock Townson, who has become a key figure in Andy Robinson's Bristol team in recent weeks, sees no reason why his side cannot end the regular season on a high by winning at Kingston Park.
They would still need results to go their way, in the form of Nottingham winning or possibly drawing at Leeds, but the 26-year-old is only concerned with what Bristol do.
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"We've got one league game to go and it's the biggest game of the season – in essence it's our quarter-final," said Townson.
"We're looking forward to it and these are the type of games you want to be involved in as a player – pressure games where you're putting yourself up against the top team in the league.
"There would be nothing better than us going up there and causing an upset, particularly if there's a semi-final for us at the end of it.
"You have to go there with confidence – you can't go up there and think, 'if, but, maybe'. And I think the way the last few weeks have gone, we've got every right to be confident."
After losing at Moseley last month, Bristol knew they would need to win their last four Championship games to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
So far, they have won three from three, including last weekend's bonus-point victory at London Scottish.
"We had a really good result in difficult conditions last weekend – we ran in five tries and probably left another couple on the field," said Townson.
"I think we're starting to get that right balance between our forwards and backs – it might have come a bit too late, but hopefully we can go up there and give Newcastle a good run.
"It's a little bit frustrating that we're starting to play that way now, but if we can go through to the play-offs, then it would be fantastic to get the opportunity to continue on that roll. But we're just focusing on Saturday for now.
"We've got to get our preparation right for Newcastle – they are a quality team and we've got a lot of respect for them. But they're not unbeatable – there are areas we can expose.
"If we get our performance right at the weekend, then we'll give ourselves every chance of getting the right result."
If Bristol do not reach the play-offs, director of rugby Robinson has already said it will be their lack of bonus points that costs them.
Bristol have collected nine extra points in their 21 games so far, while their rivals for fourth spot, Leeds, have picked up an additional 15 points.
But Townson will not be wasting energy worrying about the points that got away – instead he is focusing exclusively on trying to beat Newcastle tomorrow.
"A lot of people might say, 'well, if we had got a bonus point here or there', but you can't worry about the past," he said.
"You can tear yourself apart thinking about things like that sometimes – and I've been guilty of that in the past myself, worrying about things that have happened and that you can't change.
"The only influence we can have now is on how well we play against Newcastle on Saturday. It's an ambitious club that wants to be back in the Premiership. If it doesn't happen this year, then hopefully next year can be our year."
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