Bourgoin my passion - Frier

He was a used replacement from the Bourgoin squad when they were the first club to lift the inaugural European Challenge Cup and, 12 years on, he is still going strong and bidding to captain them another giant step closer to another tournament final when they take on Worcester Warriors at Stade Pierre Rajon in Saturday's semi-final.

Bourgoin stand alone in attempting to stop an all-England final and, fresh from a losing bonus point 13-6 Top 14 defeat at Toulouse, Frier is adamant they can follow up their stunning quarter-final win at London Irish with another Guinness Premiership scalp. With the winner then taking on Northampton Saints or Saracens in the showpiece final next month, Frier is hungry for that second Euro title while confessing they perhaps have
surprised even themselves in making the last four.

"It was an immense joy and relief to win the quarter-final against London Irish - even if it came as something of a surprise," said the 34-year-old back rower. Although we had good intentions when we went into that game, the result was a bit unexpected because we knew we were up against a big team that was riding high in the Guinness Premiership and has now qualified for the play-offs in third place.

"But we managed to pull off a great achievement - and an upset from our opponents' point of view - while winning away from home was also a huge plus that gave us a real boost. I suppose you could say that we needed that considering the somewhat hectic situation our club was in earlier in the season.

"The fact that we are the last French club in the competition doesn't add to the pressure. We have to approach the semi-final the same way we approached our game against the London Irish, by believing in ourselves. "The only additional pressure I can see is that we are now closer to achieving something great and there is a final to be played and a title at stake, so let's hope we will be able to turn that pressure into positive energy.

"We wouldn't be happier to finish the season than with a European final - especially after the complicated season we have experienced and been through. And now that the game at Toulouse is behind us we are fully in 'European mode' - and we even rested a lot of players to allow our men to be fresh and ready for the European Challenge Cup semi-final.

"The two biggest fixtures we have left on our calendar are that European semi-final and then the Top 14 game against Castres, because that's our last home game and the one most likely to give us the opportunity to guarantee our place in the Top 14 for next season.

"That said, our team seems to perform better under pressure and in a state of emergency so we will certainly give everything as we have no choice but to go for the wins. "And although we played Worcester Warriors earlier this season we must be careful not to fall into the trap of being over confident. "The fact that we have already beaten them at home is no guarantee that history will repeat itself - it is a knock-out game and it is totally different to a Pool game.

"However, knowing their players and their style will help us prepare and analyse their game but in no way will we take anything for granted. "The motivation for both teams will be the same - to win through to the final and then go on and win again and so qualify for the Heineken Cup next season."

The modern professional game now rarely sees club loyalty on the scale displayed by Frier but Worcester will be wary of the opposing captain's passion for Bourgoin.

"Bourgoin is a great club, 12 years on and I am still there, even after four seasons at Grenoble," he said. "When I started at Bourgoin back in 1996 it was the season our club beat London Irish and eventually went on to win the European Challenge Cup final.

"I played that Pool game against the Exiles, although they were not the London Irish of today. Unfortunately I couldn't play this season's quarter-final game because just 90 minutes before the game I had to withdraw because I had pains in the rib area and we didn't want to take risks and so jeopardise the rest of my season. "Personally speaking, it would therefore be a great reward to finish off the season on a high with CSBJ, now that we are so close to achieving something big.

"Back in 1997, I was much younger and came on from the replacements bench so I didn't quite appreciate the achievement of being in a final and experience the true joy of such a victory. "But now that is something that would mean a lot to me, to the club and to our fans. "We have such a great atmosphere at Pierre Rajon and the fans are awesome, even
though our stadium has a fairly small capacity of just over 8,000.

The ground should be full on Saturday and this is definitely a fantastic occasion to look forward to. "The opportunity to produce and experience an unforgettable experience at home is there for the taking and we hope to live up to all the expectations. I hope our boys will focus on that and unleash their potential to create a big performance to please our fans."