DEVONPORT Services head coach Ben Russell has called on his team to produce an instant response to last week’s heavy defeat at Brixham when they host Chew Valley at the Rectory on Saturday.

Services’ unbeaten start to the 2025-26 season came crashing down last weekend when they were heavily beaten 59-10 at Astley Park.

Russell wants his side to show that was just one of those one-off results that every team can suffer once in a while.

“We have been here before,” said Russell, who saw his side suffer a heavy defeat at Barnstaple the season they won the league and the year before at Brixham.

“We just didn’t turn up and front up last week.

“Even though there should have been three red cards, we just weren’t at the same level. We got bullied around the park, so we are looking for a reaction this week; we certainly need one.”

He added: “Chew have start the season okay and we know they will be physical, but we just need a reaction, especially as we are at home.”

Services did suffer a few injuries last week, with Liam Jarvis (concussion), Mark Friend (knee), Billy Orchard (concussion) and Matt Gregory (knee) all picking up knocks.

They were already without Rikki Bentham, James McFarlane, Kyle Felton, Shaun Crawford, Dan Lilley, Tom Richards and Matt Neyle.

Gregory will have a late fitness test to see if he is fit, but Jarvis, Orchard and Friend are set to miss this week, along with Bentham, McFarline, Crawford and Neyle.

But the good news is that Felton, Lilley and Richards are back as well as the club’s 2023-24 top try scorer Harrison Coonick, who is set to make his first appearance for the first team in more than a year.

Coonick badly broke his arm against Exeter University on September 14, 2024, which required surgery.

He has made three league starts for the second team this season, scoring four tries, and Russell feels he is now ready for the first team again.

“He’s had three or four games to ease himself back in,” said Russell. “And he is a proper finisher, so it will be good to have him back.

“You go back to last week and we made so many breaks but didn’t finish. I think we made five clean breaks but didn’t score one try from them.”

REGIONAL TWO SOUTH WEST

IVYBRIDGE are on their travels in Regional Two South West as they make the trip to newly-promoted mid-Devon side Tiverton.

The sides have not met in a league game since January 2012 when they were both in Western West.

Both teams have made good starts to the season, winning three out of their opening four matches.

Ivybridge sit in second place with 17 points from a maximum of 20, and Tiverton are fourth with 16 points.

“I don’t really know much about Tiverton, to be honest,” said Ivybridge head coach Steve Atkinson. “I just know that they have done well the last couple of years.

“It is a bit of the unknown again, which is exciting.”

Ivybridge had been intending to make a club day of it as their second team were due to play South Molton away.

The Bridgers had planned on getting a double-decker bus for both teams and dropping one off on the way. However, their second team have now had to pull out of their match due to injuries and covid in the squad.

COUNTIES ONE WESTERN WEST

SALTASH will finally play their first match of the season at Moorlands Lane on Saturday when they host Wiveliscombe in Western West.

The Ashes have been unable to play on their main pitch so far this term after it was completely dug up in the summer as part of upgrade works.

The surface has been levelled out and totally re-seeded after it had got into a poor condition.

Saltash reversed their opening game of the season with Newton Abbot, and they played St Ives on their second team pitch at Chapel Field.

But now they finally get to run out on the new-look Moorlands Lane surface on Saturday.

They did beat St Ives in their one and only home game so far and so will be aiming to make it two home victories out of two against Wiveliscombe, who have claimed two wins out of three this term, both at home, to sit third in a tight league.

The clubs last met at the same level during the covid-hit 2019-20 season, with Wiveliscombe winning both fixtures

The Somerset club have only played one away game so far this term – at Truro, where they lost 21-17.

Last weekend, Wiveliscombe beat Penyrn 53-24 at home, while Saltash narrowly lost 27-22 at Kingsbridge.

The Ashes do have to make a number of changes. They are able to welcome back Lewis Wells, Greg Eatwell and Charlie Knight, but top try scorer Will Morton, Tom Hoban, Phil Eatwell and Todd Crofts are missing from last week’s side. James Moriarty, Danny Snook, Devon Bennett-Murray and Ryan Rayer are also still out.

Rob Walsh, who has returned to Saltash after a short spell at Devonport Services, will start at hooker, with Fin Jones moving to number eight. There is a league debut for Leo Clapham on the wing, while Seth Jones will make only his second start on the other wing.

Plymstock Oaks will make their second trip to Truro in the space of three weeks on Saturday.

The teams only met at St Clement’s Hill on September 20 in the RFU Community Cup, a game Truro won in wet and windy weather 28-12.

Oaks are keen for revenge this week and to right a few wrongs from last weekend, when they went down 32-24 at home to Redruth II.

“Last week, it was one of those matches where we were just five or 10 per cent off our game,” said coach Mike Lewis.

“We watched the video on Tuesday and there were probably six occasions where we had 80 per cent chance of scoring if we had just passed the ball or held on to it a bit longer. It was just one of those games.”

On their trip to Truro, Lewis added: “We know their pitch, know the score and know what to do against them – it just a case of doing it.

“Hopefully, it is not the same weather as last time as it ruined the whole game.”

He added: “We have to recognise that we do have a young team with a lot of players who have never played at this standard before. It is a steep learning curve, but every week they are getting better, so that’s all we can ask for.”

Western West looks like a league where no team is going to run away with it or get stuck adrift at the bottom.

No team has won all their three games and no club has lost all three. Six sides have one win, including Oaks, Truro and Saltash, whereas six teams have two wins.

“It is one of those leagues where the top eight will probably finish within 20 points,” said Lewis.

“There are no easy weekends in this league this year. There’s usually a game where you can look and think it is a guaranteed five points, but there’s no such thing in this league.

“It is so unpredictable. It is pointless really looking at the table at this time of year. I think the team who wins this league will probably lose five or six games.”

Oaks are set to welcome back Rob Hall and Sean Wills, but they are still missing Devon players Corey Jamieson and Ollie White and now Kieran Jamieson is also missing.

COUNTIES TWO DEVON

THERE’S a Plymouth derby in Counties Two Devon this weekend when Devonport Services II host OPMs at Stonehouse Creek (3pm).

Both teams are looking to bounce back from narrow defeats last Saturday.

Services II’s unbeaten start to the season was ended when they went down 34-31 away at Honiton, while OPMs lost 17-15 at home to South Molton after missing a late conversion that could have earned them a draw.

Last season OPMs did make Services II work hard for their win at the Rectory and the hosts are expecting the same again this weekend.

“We know what they are going to bring – they are going to bring a big pack and try to bully us up front and play territory. Matt Smale will kick the ball a lot,” said Services head coach Ben Russell.

“Our twos should be stronger than last week as they have got boys back.

“I watch the video and last week at Honiton we had so many opportunities to run around them but we just ran at them and that was very frustrating.”

Services had hoped to play the game at 1pm before their first team’s home match with Chew Valley so that spectators could enjoy a full day of rugby and ahead of their Oktober Fest event. However, Service said they could not get OPMs to agree to an earlier kick-off.

Tavistock are expecting a tough test on Saturday when they host Exeter Saracens at Sandy Park.

Both clubs have made encouraging starts to the season with two wins out of three. The only team to beat either are Devonport Services II.

Exeter Saracens are the league’s top scorers after beating Dartmouth 91-7 last weekend. They also scored 50 points against South Molton and 33 against Services II, but they did concede 69 points in their opening two league games against those two sides.

“We know Exeter Saracens are coming off a big win,” said Tavistock head coach Leigh Puttock. “But, for us, it’s all about continuing to trust our processes and making sure that the original Sandy Park remains a tough place to visit.

“We’re also hoping for a vocal crowd this weekend as we host a meal for our past players. I hope they’ll recognise and enjoy that we’re working hard to build within the club.”

He added: “We have had a slightly disrupted week with training cancelled on Tuesday due to Goosey Fair, but as always, we’ve quietly gone about our week and kept building momentum.

“I’m really pleased with how the team is developing – players are finding their feet in new situations and positions, and you can see them beginning to set their own high standards, which they’re not going to let slip lightly.”

Myles Costello is set to return following injury after making a strong debut at the start of the season, while Oscar Slater earns what Puttock describes as a ‘well-deserved spot’ on the bench after coming close in recent weeks.

Dan Yeatman and Charlie Deane are also back for Tavistock, while Logan Suish comes in on the wing.

Ivybridge II, who are still without a win since their promotion, have handed South Molton a home walkover after they were unable to get a side out due to injuries and covid in their squad.

COUNTIES THREE

PLYMOUTH Argaum head coach Dean Avery wants a reaction from his team when they host Totnes at Bickleigh Down on Saturday in Devon South & West.

An under-strength Argaum side were heavily beaten 48-7 at Brixham II last Saturday. That was their first defeat of the season.

“It is a bit frustrating for me when we have had a good start to the season,” said Avery.

“But it is a long season and it is certainly not done and dusted just because of one result away at Brixham.”

He added: “We have got Totnes now and again it will come down to availability.

“We should have some guys back who were missing last week.

“Totnes have beat Tamar Saracens (29-12) and Kingsbridge II (53-5), but we just have to pick ourselves up.”

Tamar Saracens are hoping they can finally get their first win of the season when they visit Kingsbridge II on Saturday.

Sarries have not played a game since September 13 after they were handed a walkover in the RFU Community Cup and had two blank weekends.

“We have not played since Oaks away, which was about five weeks ago,” said Tamar Saracens captain Adam Corbett. “We are just looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing some rugby.

“We have still been getting good numbers at training. Everyone wants to try and get that first win of the season on Saturday.

“We are hoping that having all this time training together that we can put it into a match. We have had a bit more time with the new coach.”

There is a derby match at Weston Mill where Old Techs host Plympton Victoria.

Plym Vic are still waiting for their first win, whereas Techs got off the mark last weekend with a 39-26 win over Plymstock Oaks II.

Techs will be favourites, but they are not taking anything for granted.

“As a player you just can’t be thinking you can just turn up and beat a team, as it just doesn’t happen,” said Techs’ Shaun Bedford-Smith.

“Look at last week, we were 27-0 up at half-time and looking really comfortable. But Oaks just went ‘no, we are not going to give in’ and they got it back to one score at one point.

“Hopefully, our players have learned from that and know they have to keep pushing as a game can quickly change, even when you are 27 points up.”

He added: “We always have good games against Plym Vic. They are a team that never give up.

“I really like Plym Vic as they know where they are and always battle. They pretty much turn up home and away every weekend and give it their all. They are one of those teams that can spring a surprise.”

Techs are missing Joe Bailey, Lee Puleston and Eddie Ramazani, but they should be able to welcome back Josh O’Hare, Brett Tunnicliffe and Jack Williams. They have also boosted their squad by signing Ashley Cheetham from Oaks and David Thomas, who played youth rugby in Cornwall and is keen to get back into the game after four years out.

Plym Vic are boosted by a number of returning players, including John-Paul Browning, Jason Cleverley and Ethan Pringle.

In Counties Three Cornwall, Saltash II host Camborne School of Mines at Chapel Field.