SALTASH spent three years desperately trying to reach Western West, but now that they have got there, they are not quite as prepared as they would like to be.

The unbeaten Counties Two Cornwall champions, who enjoyed a season to remember in 2024-25, will start the new campaign missing a host of players, unable to play on their first-team pitch and without any real pre-season games.

Their only warm-up outing of the summer was playing a four-way tournament with Ivybridge, Salcombe and Plymouth Dolphins a month ago.

“We have had a really strange pre-season,” admitted director of rugby Steve Down.

“I think after the three frantic years of trying to get promotion and everyone hitting pre-season to make sure we hit the ground running, I think everyone just wanted a summer off.

“We have had some really good training sessions, but I think next year we will try and look at playing some mid-week pre-season games as I think there is less and less desire to play on a weekend in the summer.

“We’ve not had a very good pre-season in terms of playing games, but we have been productive and had some really good training sessions.”

The Ashes could hardly have asked for a tougher start to life back in Western West with a trip to Newton Abbot, who were relegated from Regional Two South West last season.

The Devon All Whites have brought in former Exmouth and Barnstaple coach Steve Perry over the summer and appear keen to return to regional rugby.

Saltash should have been at home, but there were forced to switch the game as their pitch is not quite ready after a major overhaul in the summer.

Down knows a trip to Rackerhayes will certainly not be easy.

“It could be a bit of a shock to the system, but we’ll have to see how we get on,” he said.

“We have got a few people missing. I think we are missing probably half of the (Papa Johns) cup run squad, who are not around at the moment, so we are going to be blooding some new faces.”

Saltash lost highly-rated young hooker Rob Walsh to Devonport Services during the summer, while Axel Nicks, Ryan Rayner, Devon Bennett-Murray, Tom Rixson, Danny Snook, Greg Eatwell and Billy Dover are all unavailable this weekend.

But they are able to call on Andy Walsh before he returns to university and Royal Navy man Jack Mills is back at Moorlands Lane, while Todd Croft has also returned to the club as a player-coach from Launceston. Also returning are Dale Thompson and Harley Adams, while second-row Tom Hoban has signed from Penryn.

Their biggest issue with Nicks and Rayner unavailable is finding someone to play hooker. That task could fall to back-rower Finn Jones, who has been practicing that position.

On what their targets are for their first season back in Western West, Down said: “Just to be competitive really.

“We were aiming to be in the top four and really wanted to go for it, but with the sluggish summer and losing a couple of key lads, it is hard to say.

“If we start the way we finished last season, then we’ll be pushing for top four, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.

“It will be a bit of a test this weekend, but we’ll see where we are.”

AFTER two consecutive top four finishes in Western West, Plymstock Oaks will be expected to be one of the teams to watch.

They have added to their coaching staff over the summer by bringing in former Devonport Services, Launceston, Tavistock and Tamar Saracens head coach Mike Lewis to work with Lewis Paterson. They have brought in back Hayden Coles from Ivybridge and have a new batch of young players pushing for first team spots.

They have warmed up for the 2025-26 campaign by playing higher league Devonport Services, Ivybridge and Crediton in pre-season.

“It is going to be a strong division this year,” said Oaks head coach Lewis Paterson. “And particularly a strong local division with Saltash, Torquay and Newton Abbot coming into it.

“I think it will be our toughest yet in this league, but we’ve had a really good pre-season and played three really big teams.

“I think it has prepped us well. It is just about putting it all together for the first game of the season.”

That first game will be at home to newly-promoted Torquay Athletic, who did beat Oaks 55-50 in a memorable Devon Intermediate Cup final at the end of March.

“There’s a bit of redemption to try and claim back against Torquay after the Devon Cup final last year,” said Paterson.

“We will be starting the season with two good sides out. We’ve had really good squad numbers over the last few weeks of pre-season, so we are all set.”

And Paterson is certainly not scared to aim high.

“My personal ambition is to try and win the league – why else would you participate?,” he said.

“That’s what I would want to do, especially after we have been nearly men the last couple of years.

“I think that has to be the goal. I think we have to set our expectations quite high, with the resources we have and Mike Lewis coming in.

“You have to set our aims high and at least try and push to be near the top.

“I’m sure the club would like to be top four again, but I would like to win the league.”

Paterson is certainly excited by some of the young players coming into the Oaks squad this season.

“We’ve got some outstanding colts that have come through like Harry Toghill, the Plymouth College scrum-half, who looks a very good player, and centre/winger Charlie Watson is a very electric elusive young player,” said Paterson.

“We have a strong pack, very similar to last season, so there will be a bit of consistency there.

“Ryan Wills will be our captain for the season and Duncan Bibby vice-captain

“We’ve got players like Ollie White, Kieran Jamieson, Corey Jamieson who all got really good experience with Devon, so we have got some good players.”