Schmid hails 'fantastic' victory

Esher director of rugby Mike Schmid was delighted with his side's 16-7 victory over Cornish Pirates.

The Surrey side were quickly 7-0 down but battled back to lead 8-7 at half-time and scored eight unanswered points after the break to seal the victory.

Schmid told BBC Southern Counties Radio: "It was fantastic, I was immensely proud of the effort the boys put in.

"We battled back really well with a fantastic defensive performance."

Schmid feels his side have raised the bar and says there is no shortage of belief in the camp.

"The boys are playing with extreme confidence and playing with such quality that we firmly believe we can challenge anybody now in this division," he added.

"We're going to have to, I think, if we're going to avoid relegation."

Esher are up against Coventry, ninth in National One, next and Schmid is optimistic that his side can get something from the game.

"They've faltered a little bit at the moment and they are by no means out the relegation zone themselves," he said.

"Another week brings another important game for both sides. We're at home, the weather is supposed to be good, and we're coming off the back of a very good away victory.

"Playing with confidence and knowing what it takes to win counts for a lot in this game.

"The most important thing for us to really be focussed on that Coventry game and be really focused on what we know we can do."