Having spent the best part of a decade in the Sharmans Cross boiler house, Alex Davidson is better placed than most to judge the merits of the Bees pack.
The experienced lock, an enforcer type that divides opinion whenever he hits a ruck, sacks a lineout or applies his considerable weight to help gravity arrest a moving maul, has seen them all.
From the fearsome octet of Messrs Tkachuk, Fakatau and Jenner that did for London Wasps, to the powderpuff counterparts that were relegated two years ago.
Sadly for him the current vintage has come closer to resembling the latter rather than the former, indeed an almost complete inability to retain their own scrum ball and considerable problems winning lineout has taken them to the brink of relegation.
But Davidson, not a man for party lines or club spin, believes that is changing and views last Saturday’s performance against Plymouth Albion as a turning point.
For the first time since they were bullying third tier part-timers, Bees enjoyed more than parity up front against Graham Dawe’s men.
Both set-pieces functioned well and the home back row were allowed pre-eminence at the ruck. It was all rather unfamiliar.
But it was just as welcome: “We had to go right back to basics with the loss of players and the influx of new ones and basically it’s taken a long time,” Davidson admitted.
“But I think against Plymouth we proved that the set-piece is there, against a side that prides itself on its set-piece work. We have now got to learn to play off it, which I don’t think we did in the first half.
“We showed in the second by bringing Rod Petty to ten – maybe it’s just his age or his communication skills – but people started playing off it a lot better.
“If we can continue playing front-foot rugby I think we are dangerous. If we can do that for 80 minutes we can easily win games like last Saturday’s.
“That second half was a sign of what we are trying to achieve. We have been chopping and changing and boys have been playing hard in midweek. Now, though, the likes of myself and Matt Long have come back, Rusty’s due back and that experience mixed with youth will put us in better stead for the play-offs.”
That's where Bees are likely to face local rivals Coventry and possibly even nearer neighbours Moseley.
Russell Earnshaw’s men have played both recently and cut both to pieces with their three-quarter play.
If Davidson et al can add power to the pace, what they are describing at Sharmans Cross as the Great Escape, might yet come to pass.
