I have been passed fit to play after my jaw reconstruction but with the side playing so well I will really have to fight to get my place back in the team

It is always agony stuck on the sidelines but in such a big, close game, this feeling was made worse.

It was clear to see the relief and joy on the faces of the boys when the final whistle went and recording such an important win against a big team in the league made for a great atmosphere in the changing room after the game.

On a personal note, it was great to catch up with old friends as a number of my ex-Rotherham team-mates made the short move to Doncaster in the summer.

I think that one of rugby's great strengths as a game is the camaraderie and friendship that can develop between team-mates over a season or two that can last for years after. It is not unusual to catch up with an ex-colleague or friend on an almost weekly basis throughout the season.

Last Tuesday saw the Barbarians take on The Combined Services at Brickfields in which a number of Albion players turned out for the famous invitational side.

Bedford play a very attractive, exciting brand of rugby that can work wonderfully or not so wonderfully so it will be interesting to see which they come up with on Saturday. Geoff Griffiths

It was a very entertaining match that the Barbarians deserved to win 33-14. With so many of our players involved in the fixture, the rest of the squad stayed to enjoy the game after training to offer their support/abuse to our boys.

Some supporters near a group of us looked bemused with some of the nicknames by which we were referring to a number of our players.

Heckling "Box-head", "Finger" and "Treebeard" as they took to the field is all part and parcel of being a tight-knit group. Any ideas on who these infamous Baa-baas are? Answers on a postcard.

This Saturday sees a return to another of my former clubs, Bedford. I had one great year there before I went to university and always enjoy going back to play or watch.

They play a very attractive, exciting brand of rugby that can work wonderfully or not so wonderfully so it will be interesting to see which they come up with on Saturday. We have obviously picked up a bit of momentum now and it would be great to go to such a hostile place and carry that on.

I will have to wait and see whether I will be involved or not as I have been passed fit to play after my jaw reconstruction but with the side playing so well I will really have to fight to get my place back in the team.

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