Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea says his side are not thinking about winning the Aviva Premiership title.
Harlequins boss says his side 'have not set any goals'
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea says his side are not thinking about winning the Aviva Premiership title despite their perfect start to the season.
The league leaders made it eight wins out of eight in the competition with a 26-13 victory over Bath at the Rec on Saturday.
But O'Shea insists his side are keeping their feet on the ground despite the incredible run, and that they will be taking things one game at a time.
"We have not set any goals. Obviously we have goals to win matches and goals to win silverware but we don't need to come out and say that," he said.
"We look more for a good performance and a clarity in the style we want to play. There are things you can't control in games, but you can control your performances."
Improvement
But O'Shea readily admitted he has been pleased by a major improvement in their form away from home, which he traces back to their magnificent Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final win over Munster last season.
He added: "This is our eighth straight win on the road across last season and this season so it's not bad, because we did struggle away from home.
"The win in Munster, you can't say how much that meant to the players, and then how we won against Stade in the final where we hung on and won the game.
"We lost 10 games last season by less than seven points, so we knew we were a good side.
"When you come here there is going to be a contest but the confidence is there now, we have stuck to our processes home and away but what happens between the white lines is all we can look after."
Skipper Chris Robshaw scored a first-half try during the contest and O'Shea believes the 25-year-old has what it takes to become captain of England.
Praise
He added: "He would be my choice (as England captain). He won the Premiership Player of the Year award a few years ago when he was just 22 and it says a lot about what other players think of him."
Bath rugby director Sir Ian McGeechan had few complaints about his side's defeat as he was left to rue a costly lack of accuracy in his side's play.
But more positive news comes in the form of World Cup hero Stephen Donald's impending arrival, with the New Zealand fly-half set to join his new team-mates on Sunday.
"He arrives tomorrow. We are hoping he will bring good game management, a bit like (Harlequins fly-half) Nick Evans showed today," McGeechan said.
"He is a clever player, you don't need to overcomplicate it, you want him to bring what he naturally has and integrate it into what we have."