DEVONPORT Services play their final away game of the season on Saturday when they make a trip across the Tamar to take on second-placed Camborne.
Both sides will go into the penultimate National Two West fixture of the campaign on a bit of a low.
Services were officially relegated from the league last week after they were narrowly beaten 41-34 at home to Hornets, while Camborne’s title hopes suffered a major blow as they were beaten 41-26 at Clifton to lose top spot to their Bristol rivals.
Camborne now need to win their remaining matches against Services and Macclesfield and just hope that Clifton slip up to either struggling Bournville or Exeter University.
Services, who have been competitive in most matches this term, do just want to try and prove a point this weekend after they were convincingly beaten 70-7 by Camborne in December. That was Devonport’s biggest defeat of the season. Camborne were electric that day, running in a host of length-of-the-field tries and adding every conversion.
“It is going to be tough down there,” said Services head coach Ben Russell, who will have to change his team with Matt Gregory, Aidan Taylor and Tom Davies all unavailable.
“This weekend we just have to go there and do better than we did against Hornets at home.
“Against both Hornets and Loughborough in our last two games we attacked brilliantly, but we didn’t defend. We just need all one to 20 players wanting to fight and defend.”
He added: “It’s our last away game and it’s not very far to go. We then have Bournville at home and then we’ll have a bit of a re-fresh and assess the season and go from there.”
Russell is convinced Services would have stayed up had they not suffered so many injuries. Key players like Harrison Coonick, Mike Rickard and Mark Friend, who helped the club get promoted, have all been missing all season, while the likes of James Hocking, Henry Gliddon, Matt Neyle, Toby Knowles and Kieran Down have all missed large parts of the campaign.
“If we’d had all our starting team and all our best players available for the whole year, we would have stayed up, but we didn’t and it is what it is,” said Russell.
Sam Bennett is likely to come into the starting line-up at hooker in place of the unavailable Taylor, while Charlie Groves is set to return and could come in for Davies, who dislocated his shoulder last week.
However, the club are still waiting on the fitness of a couple of players before deciding who will replace the inspirational Gregory.
Friend has yet to make a National League appearance due to injury and he is still struggling with his knee, although he did manage to play for the second team last week at Honiton, while Ethan Millard has also been out with a knee injury.
Devonport Services II are not in action this weekend, but their third team is away to Crediton II in the semi-finals of the David Butt Trophy.
In the other semi-final, the Peninsula Medical School will host Barnstaple III at Stonehouse Creek.
In Counties One South Plate, Plymstock Oaks make the short trip to their league rivals Kingsbridge.
Oaks well beat Kingsbridge 56-19 last month at home, but they did lose 32-19 away to them at High House at the end of November.
“Kingsbridge will probably have some boys back as they are playing at home and it is always a tough place to go,” said Oaks’ player-coach Lewis Paterson.
“We did a job on them at our place, but it will be interesting to see who we have available and who will be up for it.
“It is likely to be more of a mental battle. If the lads want it and want to keep going, then hopefully we might get something out of it.”
They should have been beginning their Counties 2 Championship campaign on Saturday away at league rivals Falmouth.
The Ashes had beaten Falmouth 93-0 and 62-7 in their two league matches this year, but Falmouth handed them a walkover in the Cornwall Clubs’ Cup and have done the same this weekend/
However, it is also a big weekend for Saltash’s colts, who play their Launceston counterparts in the Cornwall Shield final at Hayle.
The teams met in the final of the Devon Junior Bowl last year with New Cross winning 21-7.
Both clubs finished third in their respective leagues – New Cross in Devon North & West and Techs in Devon South & West – and another good match is expected between them.
“They are not in our league now, but we have played them many times over the years,” said Techs’ Shaun Bedford-Smith.
“We have had some really good battles with them and we are looking forward to it.
“We did not feel we really turned up in last year’s final against them. They deserved to win and we had no issue with that, but we were disappointed as we didn’t feel we played to our best ability.
“I do feel we are a more rounded side this year and we have had a better season, but they probably feel the same as well as they have also finished third in their league.
“I think it is going to be another close one and it will come down to how we turn up on the day.
“In this competition you are only four games away from Twickenham so there is that carrot for the players. It is a chance to see how far you can progress and play some different teams at the same level.”
Elsewhere this weekend, a Tavistock II side are due to host OPM Jesters in the Pedrick Cup.