DAVID Dunn has targeted Lions' home clash against high-flying Weston-Super-Mare on April 12 as a must-win game to secure his side's South West One safety once and for all.

Dunn's charges could have all but guaranteed their top-flight status for another season against top-of-the-table Bracknell on Saturday, but, in tough conditions, Lions crashed to a 17-7 defeat at Chapel Gate.

And with the clash against Weston and a final league game against Redingensians to come, Dunn has demanded his charges get the job done at the next attempt.

Dunn told the Echo: "It was difficult in the conditions on Saturday and it counted in Bracknell's favour.

"They've got a very strong pack and they prevented us from moving the ball around the field really. We like to get our backs moving and shift the big heavy packs around, but we couldn't do that on Saturday.

"It's disappointing, but we're still targeting 20 points to ensure our safety. If we get another win, I think that will secure it, but we've got two games now that we should win.

"If we can win those, I'd consider that a successful season bearing in mind the slow start we made."

Lions failed to pick up a single point in their opening seven league games of the campaign and we're odds-on favourites for the drop around Christmas.

But a post-festivities revival, that saw Dunn's charges win nine of their next 11 games following that barren spell, has given the Chapel Gate side a more than decent chance of avoiding the South West One trap door.

But Dunn, whose side are in eighth place on 17 points and four clear of second-from-bottom Maidenhead, added: "It could be three that go down and it depends what happens in National Division Three.

"Last year Chippenham won 10 games in our division, racked up 20 points and still got relegated placed third from bottom, so we're not there yet.

"We're trying to avoid the bottom three, but we really should finish in the top half.

"I wouldn't want to leave it to the last game of the season and Weston-Super-Mare aren't great on the road.

"They don't travel well so we need to front up against them and get the points."

A first-half try from Sam Hardcastle and a James Flynn conversion kept Lions in touch 7-7 at the break on Saturday, but Bracknell's pack took control in the second period to eventually make the game safe for the Berkshire side.

In a break from league action this weekend, Lions will be hoping to book their place in next season's National Trophy with a victory over arch-rivals Swanage and Wareham in the Dorset and Wiltshire Cup final on Sunday.

Lions: Siaki, Ulu, Manning, Forrest, Kenny, Hughes, Kiely, Cawley, Hardcastle, Chislett, Payne, Bruce, Gray, Flynn, Davies. Subs: Wareham, Crombie, Edwards.

CUP GLORY IN SIGHT

BOURNEMOUTH under-17s moved one step closer to RFU National Cup glory with a 10-7 defeat of Reading Abbey in the south of England semi-final.

The young Lions took the lead thanks to an early penalty kick, but Abbey hit back with a converted try to edge in front.

Bournemouth showed their mettle, however, and took the lead with a well-worked converted try which was enough to send them into the regional final at Newbury on Sunday.

  • Leicester Tigers' Seru Rabeni has been suspended for 14 weeks after being found guilty of eye gouging by an RFU disciplinary panel - and will miss the Bournemouth Sevens tournament on May 31.

The Tigers are planning an appeal, but Rabeni, who was set to captain a Fiji side for the tournament at Chapel Gate, looks likely to sit out the remainder of the Guinness Premiership campaign as well as several summer appearances for his country.