OLD Techs and Saltash will be hoping to move within touching distance of Twickenham this weekend when they play home quarter-final matches in the Papa Johns Community Cup.
Techs are hosting Gloucestershire South champions Avonmouth Old Boys in the last eight of the Counties Three & Below Championship competition, while Saltash will entertain Gloucestershire South runners-up Frampton Cotterell in the Counties Two Championship cup.
It is not a new experience for Saltash, who were semi-finalists last year and reach Twickenham in 2018, but reaching the last eight of a national cup is something new for Old Techs.
“It is quite exciting for the club and the players,” said Old Techs’ Shaun Bedford-Smith.
“It is a little added bonus at the end of the season.
“Just to have got this far is good as we have had to beat two good teams to get here.”
Avonmouth, who in 2014 were in National League Three South West playing the likes of Brixham and Barnstaple, were convincing winners of Counties Three Gloucestershire. They lost just one game and picked up 106 points and score more than 1,000 points.
“We know they are a big club,” said Bedford-Smith. “They were a level five club playing the likes of Brixham and then were level seven for a while but then suffered two relegations.
“They are at our level now, but we know it is going to be tough.
“It is the quarter-final stage, so you know you are going to be playing a good team.
“We know we are going to have to be on it even more than we were last week against Romsey.
“We upped our performance from New Cross for Romsey, but we are going to have to move it up another level again.
“It is a bit of the unknown, but the good thing is they have to come to us.
“We are all looking forward to it. I think the players are excited. It is something new and different.
“Playing local teams is good, but having a big club coming down to us for a quarter-final tie is exciting and good for the club.”
Techs are missing a few players due to the bank holiday weekend and the Army-Navy game.
“We have two or three back who missed last week, but we probably have three or four missing,” said Bedford-Smith.
Techs are set to welcome back second-row Ollie Davey, but fellow forward Josh O’Hare is set to be missing.
Saltash will be looking to continue their impressive season by reaching the Counties Two Championship national semi-final.
The Ashes are still unbeaten in all competitions this year and on Wednesday lifted the Lockie Cup by beating Devonport Services II 39-0 at Plymouth Albion’s Brickfields ground.
Although that match will have taken it out of them physically, the Ashes are keen to take that level of performance into Saturday’s home tie against Frampton Cotterell.
“That was one of our strongest performances of the year so far and it sets us up now for Saturday,” said director of rugby Steve Down after Wednesday’s cup win.
“They (Frampton Cotterell) are a good side as obviously they wouldn’t be where they are if they weren’t.
“We have heard a few things about them, but we are at home and we are always a lot stronger at home. It is a bit of a fortress for us.”
On their impressive winning run, Down said: “We don’t talk about the pressure of keeping the run going. The winning run hasn’t even come into the equation or been mentioned.
“We just keep taking it game by game and are just desperate to get better.”
Frampton Cotterell have lost just twice this season and came runners-up to Dings Crusaders II in Counties Two Gloucestershire South.
They were handed a home walkover in the first round of the cup by Dursley before just edging out Bream 30-29 last weekend.
Also on Saturday, Plymouth Albion prop Dan Pullinger is holding his testimonial event at Brickfields, with rugby sevens from 2pm and live music from 4.30pm.
Then on Sunday, the Plymouth Combination men’s and women’s teams will be taking on the Torbay Sharks at Devonport Services. The women’s game kick-offs at 1pm, with the men’s match at 2.30pm.