Getting the basics right will allow Cinderford to play with the "entrepreneurial" style that Nic Corrigan wants his team to thrive on.
That's the message from the Foresters director of rugby, who felt his side lacked a clinical edge in their defeat away to Coventry on Saturday afternoon.
Cinderford lost 32-22 in a tight, seven-try spectacle in front of record crowds at Butts Park Arena, during which they produced their fair share of try opportunities.
The Dockham Road outfit played with a more ambitious running style compared to their hosts, testing out potential weaknesses with quick-fire ball and regiment, double-banked running-lines.
Coventry scored all four of their tries off the cuff – three coming from man-of-the-match Daniel Rundle, whose speed and endeavour could not be touched – leaving Cinderford chasing a game-tempo they laboured so hard to control.
Corrigan is disappointed following defeat to National One's number two behind Ealing Trailfinders but believes the structure he is working towards is showing signs of promise.
He said: "For me, it's not just about the bonus point – that game was there for the win. I feel we could have done more in their 22 while they were fantastic in their five-metre defence.
"They are one of the strongest teams we've come up against all season and we are gutted not to come away with anything from that. I don't think about one or two points - I think we were fair game for the win.
"I was disappointed because we're just not clinical in some areas where we got the rub of the green but fair play to Coventry to get the try bonus point - to lose by 10 points is galling."
Tries from Sam Hanks, Luke Cole and Stefan Hawley put Cinderford in for a shout of a bonus point they were good for but had their seven-point deficit stretched to ten after Coventry fly-half Matthew Jones stuck the boot in, splitting the posts from the tee with a dramatic last play of the game.
Corrigan continued: "I think the way they controlled the tempo of the game was interesting. They controlled the rhythm, which didn't play to us.
"We wanted to play a quick game and I felt the scrummaging again, from an officiating point of view, is frustrating because we are winning certain things at certain times and then they got the rub of the green.
"But we did control the rhythm of the game and I felt that has been a massive factor in the result. For me, you've got to take the opportunities when you get them.
"I don't think any defeat is positive – that's not why we've come here. We didn't come to be the sideshow. We wanted to be the main part of it.
"Where do we go from here? We've got a really good structure and a system that is starting to embed in terms of how we're playing.
"We're playing the entrepreneurial type of rugby that I am encouraging us to play. We've also got to work on those core skills and we've got to focus on doing our things well and doing our basics even better. That's where the battle was lost."
