With a current run of poor form for DMPRFC hampering what was a very good start to the season, a trip to the stand out team in National League One doesn’t make the task any easier.

Hartpury College RFC away is probably the toughest games of the season and added to the fact that they are unbeaten so far this season, with 11 straight wins (including 11 try bonus points) makes it even harder.

Three seasons ago, DMPRFC were in a similar situation prior to Christmas and managed to recover. Similarly, with a run of away games to contend with as a result of hosting the New Zealand All Blacks as a training base during their World Cup winning exploits in 2015, DMPRFC also managed to turn it around.

So with a track record of improvement, all augurs well that the same can apply, but it will need to be soon and why not against the current best in the league.

This may be unlikely, as Hartpury have proved to be the class act so far with an unblemished 100% record and with their current quality playing squad and very close ties with Gloucester RFC, all looks good so far for a climb into the Championship.

From their eleven games so far, they have accumulated 55 league points, scoring 64 tries in the process, at an average of 5 tries per game. The exact figures are points for 449, points against 156, giving a points difference of 293, which considering that just over a third of the season is gone, the potential for a first class season looks assured.

Hartpury’s top points scorer is actually their top try scorer in Jonus Mikalcius, who has had a couple of run outs for the full Gloucester side. His 12 tries are by far and away good enough for the gold medal position of all players in the league. Hartpury’s goal kicking honours appears to be shared between Matthew Protheroe (48 points), Jacob Perry (43 points) and Adam Hastings (38 points), Protheroe also having seen action for the senior Gloucester side this season. Other try scorers who feature highly in the tries scored hierarchy are Luke Eves (6 tries), Steve Leonard (6 tries), Jake Polledri (5 tries) and also Harry Randall (5 tries).

HartpuryCollege RFC ‘nilled ‘Old Albanian RFC (0 – 32) away from home last weekend and will be looking at more of the same (and possibly more) with the visit of DMPRFC this weekend.

As has been all alluded to earlier, DMPRFC started the season very well, with 4 wins from the first 6 games. Since then, no league points in the last 5 games, with a distinct lack of game points in those 5 losses.

The poor run has coincided, it must be said, with a series of injuries that have been a major contributory factor in those disappointing figures and at the risk of attracting the expected barracking of others in similar circumstances for the mere mention of an injury crisis, those are the hard facts of the game at this level.

The loss at crucial times of ten of the probable first choice squad of forwards during this losing period ................................

Ignis DARKINTIS
Jack PAYNE
Ralph APPLEBY
Jack JONES
Rory DUFF
Simon UZOKWE
Joe CRAGGS
Ollie HODGSON (Captain)
Brandon STAPLES
Chris WOOD

..................together with five of the probable first choice squad of backs...................

Garry LAW
Jamie BARNARD
Peter HOMAN
Tom KILL
Will MURRAY

..............illustrates the problems and just about sums up the bad luck experienced during that period.

Some have returned in the last week, but there are still unfortunately some long term injuries.

So the remainder of the squad have had to perform to the best of their ability and show the appropriate aptitude for the task in hand.

Last week against Blackheath RFC at the Arena (lost 5 – 31) was a slight improvement to the downside of the Macclesfield RFC result, not in the score line, but in the attitude and focus of the players at times during the game. The next improvement will be to start a game with that attitude and focus and continue that for 80 minutes plus.