Tom Bowen hopes two tries prove enough to retain Plymouth Albion place

TOM BOWEN is hoping he has done enough to keep his place in Plymouth Albion's starting line-up.

The former Leicester Academy wing was recalled to Albion's starting line-up for Saturday's British & Irish Cup match against Rotherham.

It was his first start since Albion beat Leeds at Brickfields in their third match of the season.

Although a makeshift Albion side were beaten heavily at Rotherham – 59-26 – Bowen impressed with two well-taken tries.

The two tries against Rotherham means the 19-year-old wing has three tries in as many starts, having also scored on his debut against Doncaster.

Bowen was pleased to play on Saturday, despite the result.

"Any game is good," he said. "You want to be in that starting team. If you play well it is a bonus."

He added: "I thought I played okay. I did my job, but as a team we were outplayed by a better team."

Bowen started the matches against Doncaster and Leeds and came on as a replacement against the Pirates, but he was then rested due to a slight injury and found it hard to get his place back.

"I had a little injury and got rested, but then the team were winning and it is hard to get back into a winning team," he said.

"You always want to be starting. Everyone is biting at the bit to be starting, but that is how you get better.

"You want everyone fighting for that position, otherwise no one will want to improve.

"If I play, I play. If I don't, I don't. I just have to ask what I need to do better and then work on it."

Bowen admits he has to try and take every chance he gets.

"You play as well as you can and listen to the boss and see what happens the next week," he said.

"You just have to take it week by week and game by game."

Bowen's first try at Rotherham was particularly impressive.

He managed to get the ball down in the corner despite intense pressure.

"I was up against a slower man and was able to get around the outside. It was a bit of an instinctive one," he said.

Bowen said the defeat at Rotherham was tough to take, but he felt the team showed character at Clifton Lane.

"We got a bonus point and that was the best we could do at that point," he said.

"I thought we showed good resilience.

"We wanted to play. We did not go into our shells and play boring rugby.

"We were just out-muscled and they outplayed us."

Bowen admits the players have to forget about the loss and just look to return to winning ways in the league this Saturday when they entertain Nottingham at Brickfields.

"It is always hard to forget about losing, but you have to take each game as it comes," said Bowen.

"Each week you have to work on your weaknesses and focus on your positives and then you don't think about it.

You just have to play the game ahead."