Scott Moore believes London Irish Wild Geese are moving in the right direction as they aim to become an established side in National Two South.

The Wild Geese captain admitted his team are “just focused on looking forward rather than behind” ahead of their crucial match with Wimbledon this weekend.

Lee Starling’s side currently sit nine points clear of the relegation zone but Moore, who joined the set-up at London Irish back in 2002, says the future is looking bright for the Wild Geese despite their league position.

The men from Hazlewood are currently 12th in the table and Moore believes they will be competing in this division next term.

“We are frustrated with our league position at the moment as well as some of our performances this season,” Moore said.

“It has been no secret that we have had a few injuries, but that is the nature of National Two. It’s so relentless.

“However, on a positive note, it has been a really good opportunity to blood some new, young players. They have started outstandingly for us which makes us incredibly excited about the future. They have really stepped up to the plate.

“This year, in parts, this team has played some outstanding rugby.  I think it is fairly clear that when we are on our game, we are one of the better sides in the league which bodes well for the future.

“At the moment, we are sitting just below where want to be, but there are eight games left and there is plenty of rugby to be played so we are just focused on looking forward.”

Wild Geese were promoted into National Two South in 2016 under the stewardship of Duncan Cormack and after guiding the side to safety on the final day of last season, the former Exiles player stepped down and handed over the baton to Lee Starling.

Asked about the transition over the last six months, Moore said: “We are in Round 23, but generally it has been a really positive season for the Wild Geese.

Scott Moore leads out London Irish Wild Geese. Photo Credit: London Irish Wild Geese

“The main reason I say that is because we had a new coaching staff and management team brought in.

“Duncan Cormack left us in a really good place and Lee Starling who was our defence coach, took over as head coach of the senior team.

“It has all been really positive for us and it has been really good for the club. The plans that the club have going forward are exciting and it is a good vision to be a part of.”

Wild Geese head into this weekend having won just two of their last seven matches, but that includes a victory over second placed Chinnor.

Moore admits he wasn’t surprised that Wild Geese ended Chinnor’s unbeaten record as he knows his team can be a force when they click into gear.

“It was a big result at Chinnor”, he said.

“We were obviously really pleased with that win, but if I am honest, the result wasn’t a massive shock to us because we know how well we can play when everything falls into place.

“We have some outstanding players and when it all came together at Chinnor; it kind of replaced some of the bad losses we suffered earlier in the season.

“The main thing was that we didn’t want to just live off that result. We just wanted to progress and that hasn’t really happened since, but there is so much more to come from this side.”

Following that win at Kingsey Road, Wild Geese lost four games on the spin, but they travel to 15th placed Wimbledon on the back of a commanding victory over Barnstaple.

As for The Dons, they have won four of their last six matches which has completely rejuvenated their season as they are now just nine points from safety.

Along with Wimbledon and Wild Geese, Broadstreet, Old Redcliffians and Clifton are all trying to avoid the drop as we approach the final stretch of this thrilling campaign.

Moore added: “Each week feels like the biggest game at the moment because a lot of the other teams are also picking up results.

“What we have learnt since we have been in this league is that you can’t underestimate anyone. League position means very little.

“You really can’t be complacent. We are aware Wimbeldon have come into form and we were over the moon to win last week, but we will be just focused on getting our job done on Saturday because it is a massive game for both sides.”