A BRIEF taste of National League rugby last season has left Devonport Services wanting to experience more of it.

Services were relegated after just one campaign in National Two West, but they proved competitive at level four after an initial slow start, despite missing key players with injury.

They will go into the 2025-26 Regional One South West season as one of the favourites for promotion – and that tag does not seem to worry head coach Ben Russell, who wants his team to be aiming for the top.

“We want to go back up,” admitted Russell.

“It (Regional One South West) is a stronger league this year, but we’ll go for it. If we finish second or third, it is what it is.”

He added: “I do think if you look at last year’s league compared to this year’s, it is tougher.

“You have our opponent’s this weekend, Sidmouth, who have now been there for a year and are a good side, Royal Wootton Bassett are decent on their day, there’s obviously Brixham who want to push, Chew Valley have got some players back, Topsham have come up and recruited well, Matson are Matson with lads who have been there for year and Exmouth have got a new coach and new boys have come in.

“So, we know it is going to be a tough league and if you are not on your game every week, then you will lose.

“But we are in a much better position this year than we were at the start of last year. We have more strength in depth this year.”

Services found themselves playing National League rugby without a number of players that had got them there. Second-row Mike Rickard missed the whole of the campaign with a shoulder injury, wingers Harrison Coonick and Toby Knowles also picked up season-long injuries in the opening couple of weeks, powerful forward Mark Friend and utility back Matt Neyle missed most of the campaign with knee injuries and back-rower James Hocking missed the second half of the season with shoulder injury.

All those are back now, although exciting back Coonick is only just making his return from a badly broken arm that needed surgery.

Services have also brought in former Ivybridge back Sam Brown, Saltash hooker Rob Walsh and ex-Lincoln top-try scorer Charlie Over, who is in the navy.

They also have former Albion and Ivybridge back Dan Lilley and Saltash back-rower Freddie Dover, who signed at the end of the last season, boosting their squad.

“We actually have a fair few lads missing this weekend, but we are in such a better place than last year that we still have two really strong teams out,” said Russell.

Among those missing this weekend are backs Shaun Crawford, George Pooley, Charlie Groves, Sam Fincham and Charlie Over.

“We have got six backs missing this weekend and if everyone was available, we could have two unbelievable backlines.”

Devonport’s first team will kick-off their season with a home game against Sidmouth, who finished sixth in their debut season at level five last year.

Brown is set to make his league debut for Services at centre, alongside his former Ivybridge team-mate Lilley, while Richard West, Toby Knowles and Matt Neyle are also expected to start in the backline.

In the forward, Services are missing prop Rikki Bentham, but they do have Rickard and Hocking available again and they are expected to start in the back five, alongside Kyle Felton, Liam Jarvis, and Bertie Fordham.

REGIONAL TWO SOUTH WEST

IVYBRIDGE are looking to the future as they begin life in Regional Two South West with a home game against Winscombe on Saturday at Cross-in-Hand.

The Bridgers’ first team endured a season to forget last term, winning just four of their 22 games as they finished bottom of Regional One South West.

Their relegation ended a 10-year spell at level five, but they are now looking to rebuild around a crop of exciting youngsters and new head coach Steve Atkinson.

They are expected to name five teenagers in their first team squad on Saturday – Joe Owen, Harry Newman-Wild, Angus Harris, Jack Guyver and Jamie Campbell, who have all come out of their colts.

“It is exciting,” said Atkinson about the number of young players in their team.

“Everyone has been buzzing for the last few weeks.”

The club are taking a long-term view and trying to build around their home-grown youngsters.

Atkinson says the Bridgers, who lost forwards Will Peakman and Henry Trudgill to Brixham, have not really set a target for 2025-26.

“We haven’t really,” he said. “The main one is not to get relegated – that’s what I was told.

“But mid-table is what we want to push for. Obviously, we want to do as well as we can, but we have all these 18 year-olds, who have come up and we want to bed them in.

“They come from a winning background through the colts and juniors and they will want to win as much as they can, but for us it is about their progression and letting them enjoy their rugby.

“I think we have four or five 18 year-olds in the side on Saturday, which is exciting.”

What is also exciting for Ivybridge is playing new teams.

“We’ve not been in this league for a while,” said Atkinson.

“We’ve got Winscombe this weekend and we know a few things about them, but they are a bit of an unknown really. I have been told they have a good pack, so we just have to front up.

“But most teams are going to be a bit unknown, but that’s the exciting part of it. We do have lads that have played for four or five years in that level five league, and they are all buzzing to play new teams.

“It’s a bit like a cup run really – playing different sides. Everyone is looking forward to it.”

Ivybridge are set to start the season without regular scrum-half James Cantin, who picked up an injury in pre-season.

Giles Clarke is likely to stand in and nine, with Cantin facing a couple more weeks on the sidelines.

The Bridgers could also hand a debut to university utility back Shay Taylor, who is set to be named on the bench.