Matt Ferguson says London Welsh must be prepared for a huge physical battle if they are to finally break their duck tonight.

The Exiles came the closest they have to winning all season when going down 28-18 at Lyon on Saturday.

That form should give Welsh hope when they host Bordeaux Begles in the European Challenge Cup, but scrum coach Ferguson is not getting carried away.

“If you play any French side in the Top 14, you are going to get a huge physical battle,” he said.

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“We watched Bordeaux’s match against Edinburgh.

“They have got a big, physical pack and a mix of incisive runners and a direct midfield.”

Bordeaux lost 15-13 in their Pool 4 opener at home to Edinburgh, so have that as extra motivation.

“Gone are the days when you talked about French sides not travelling,” said Ferguson.

“It’s a different era now.

“We are expecting intensity and physicality on Thursday and are preparing for it like a Premiership game.”

Welsh gave a lot of fringe players a run out in Lyon and their performances have put pressure on the squad’s more established members.

“When people get told they have got the shirt, we expect a lot of them,” said Ferguson.

“I can’t say I was surprised by how the players performed in Lyon.

“It was what they have been showing in training and in the A League fixtures.

“As much as we do try to push them in training and put them under pressure, it is different to see how they respond in front of 8,000 people out in Lyon.

“These guys now have a benchmark and can say this is what we have done.

“We want the players to put us under pressure for selection because that leads to the best results.”

With only five days between the Lyon and Bordeaux games, Welsh have not done as much physical work in training, focusing more on analysis and psychology.

That has highlighted a recurring problem they know they must get right.

“We still felt in the review that a lot of Lyon’s tries came from our errors,” said Ferguson.

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