IVYBRIDGE’S first team face a tough opening pre-season match when they visit National League side Taunton on Saturday.
The fixture will come less than 48 hours after their development team overcame OPMs 33-5 in miserable weather at Cross-in-Hand on Thursday evening.
The strong Bridgers’ second string led 14-0 at half-time, thanks to tries from hooker Owen Garner and young scrum-half James Cantin, which were both well converted by fly-half Adam Sams.
Ben Hooper added a try from a driving maul after the interval for the home side – their second of the match, which Sams again converted.
OPMs did have plenty of territory and possession in the second half but they could only manage one try which came courtesy of new signing Chris Marriott after good play by Fred Smale.
The Ivybridge side then scored two tries in the final five minutes through backs Jamie Hough, who was previously at Plympton Victoria, and replacement Ryan Cox.
Ivybridge head coach Davy McGregor was thrilled with the run-out and is now looking forward to seeing other players in action against Taunton on Saturday.
“I was delighted as we know what it was like last year with the stress of having numbers so to have 33 lads turn out on the night was awesome, especially having so many new faces,” said McGregor.
“We’ve had 28 players join this season so someone is believing in something, which is great.
“OPM are a big group of seasoned lads while our average age out there was 21 years of age.
“We just wanted the boys to go out there and have a bit of fun, but also have a bit of structure and I think we did have that balance.
“I was really proud of the boys who stepped in and looked like they had been playing rugby at Ivybridge for a whole season. It was really positive.”
On Saturday’s trip up the M5 to Taunton, who are set to field new signing Ollie Devoto, he added: “Boys are going to have to step up to the mark. If we want to get promotion in two or three years, then that is the level we’ll be playing at.
“I’m sure Taunton will be looking to get what they can out of it.
“For us, we don’t really care about the score, but we’ve got our own little goals which are very achievable.
“The main thing is that the boys don’t play the game on the bus on the way up.
“Yes, Taunton are a great side, but at the end of the day it is just 15 blokes v 15 blokes.
“It is a great opportunity and there’s a cider-fest as well so the boys will have a bus trip and enjoy it.”
Ivybridge have seen experienced players like Charlie Briant, Ben Watts and Tom Scoles retire during the summer, while captain Sam Furse has moved away from the area, but the club have had young players like Joe Spencer, Elliott Horsfield, Michael Jenson and Harry Towle come in, while Matt Finn has returned from Plymstock Oaks and Chey Bryce has also joined him in making the move from Horsham Fields to Cross-in-Hand.
“Absolute respect to those lads that have stepped away,” said McGregor. “There was a lot of pressure on them to be performing every week and now it is up to other boys to take up that mantel and for them to be the experienced ones.”
He added: “What we are trying to do is that anyone who comes into the club buys into what we do.
“What is nice is that lads are coming in knowing that they might not be playing first team rugby and might not even be playing second team. We have a squad now of 56 and have had 44 training on average every week so they know they are not all going to get picked, yet are still turning up, which can only be beneficial.”
Meanwhile, OPMs felt it was good to have a physical work-out against a strong Ivybridge development side, who were strong up front.
“They (Ivybridge) named something like 29 players whereas we only had 19,” said OPMs captain Billy Garratt.
“But coming in it was not about the score – we are not too worried about the scoreline – we wanted to get our line-out and scrum functioning and our systems in place.
“Unfortunately, at one point we had two backs in the line-out as forwards were dropping like flies.
“But we know now what we have to work on.
“We’ve got Saltash up next the following Saturday and it’s a case of now going back to training and working towards Saltash.”
OPMs should have scored a few more tries with the possession and territory they had but they just were not clinical enough on a rainy and misty night.
“It might have been a bit of excitement, a bit of nervousness or a bit of whatever you want to call it,” said Garratt. “We should have slowed it down a little bit more and had a look at what was going on.
“They (Ivybridge) were good up front. They were physical and chopping low and you can’t take that away from them, but they are training at a level five rugby club so that’s going to happen.
“Maybe we were a little bit too greedy at times when we should have looked up and seen what was happening, but that’s rugby.”
As well as Ivybridge playing Taunton on Saturday, other pre-season matches include Devonport Services visiting Barnstaple, while Saltash will host Plymstock Oaks at Moorlands Lane (2pm).
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