RUGBY PREVIEW: Benchmark game for Brixham
BRIXHAM entertain Exmouth at Astley Park in National League Three SW in a re-run of last season's Devon Cup final, which went the way of the visitors 28-15.
Exmouth were in the next division up back in April, but not any more as Brixham came up as South West One champions. Dan Parkes, the Brixham coach, said he will know just how far his side have come since April once the game is over.
"Definitely a benchmark game for us, one to judge ourselves on," said Parkes, who has brought Sean Onslow in at scrum-half for the injured Matt Clarke.
For Exmouth it is a second, successive Devon derby, but there the similarity ends.
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"Brixham's strengths and methods will be different to Barnstaple's and we have to be aware of that," said coach Jon Hill.
Hooker Dean Avery and full-back Josh Smith are injury doubts for the All Whites, who know the Rams are going to be in a different class to Quins. "Exmouth have won there this season, but Brixham didn't," said Newton's director of rugby Roy Henderson. "They are both teams I rate highly so it does not need saying that it will be a hard game. "Between now and Christmas we play Redingensians, Barnstaple, Brixham and Exmouth and I can't see us putting 60 or 70 on any of them. "The important thing is to keep creating chances and putting them away." Barnstaple's director of rugby Kevin Squire has refused to write off his team's prospects ahead of the clash with leaders London Irish Wild Geese at Pottington Road. Irish are unbeaten at the top of the National League Three South West table while Barum have only won once in the last four starts and have dropped below the halfway mark. All the signs point to a London Irish win, but Squire does not see it that way. "We are a lot better side at home than we are away – Chippenham were annihilated at our place two weeks ago – and London Irish are not world beaters," said Squire. "From what I have been able to glean from the teams who have already played London Irish, we should be able to compete up front. It is the backs we have to watch out for." The return of scrum-half Ben Vellacott, who was with Scotland's Under-18 side last Saturday and missed the defeat at Exmouth, will not do any harm either. Prop Mark Berry is out with a shoulder injury, but otherwise Barum have no selection issues. <
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