Drybrook’s young guns will be taking aim at an even younger Exeter University XV in South West One West’s match of the day between the top two teams at the Mannings Ground tomorrow (2.30pm).

However, whatever happens in the heart of the Forest of Dean, the Devon side will head south to their student campus after the game still in pole position, because the leaders hold a six-point advantage over their nearest rivals after nine bonus-point wins out of nine.

Drybrook are breathing down their necks, however, and are in pretty decent nick themselves after winning their last eight.

The one blemish on their 2017/18 CV is that opening-day defeat by near-neighbours Newent… and as defeats go they don’t get much more painful than that for Drybrook!

Head coach Tim Stevenson and his boys have certainly hit their straps since then though and six of their eight wins have earned them a maximum five points.

It makes for a mouth-watering clash between the two standout steams in the division so far this campaign. They have already scored more than 700 points between them – Exeter have scored 377 to Drybrook’s 334 – and with so many youngsters on the pitch, an expected bumper crowd could be in for a feast of rugby action.

One of the few older heads on either side will be Stevenson, who is used to looking across at a sea of student faces because during the week he works as a lecturer at Hartpury College.

Now 32, the Bridgend-born fly-half will have a key role to play if Drybrook are to pass their student exam, and he is calling on the home supporters to play their part as they look to take closer order at the top.

“We need to make it as uncomfortable an environment as possible for them to play in,” said Stevenson. “Tomorrow’s game is an exciting prospect between the top two teams in the division.

“Their team will be made up of 18 to 20-year-olds and we’ve got a pretty young team ourselves, even though the core has been together for three or four years.”

And Stevenson is enjoying what he is seeing from his charges on a Saturday afternoon in what is a rough and tough division.

“The team are definitely maturing, we’re getting better and developing physically,” he said.

“We like to play an exciting brand of rugby and try to test defences. We like to test ourselves by playing rugby and putting teams under pressure.”

Even though he is now the wrong side of 30, Stevenson is still a very important cog in what is an increasingly well-oiled Drybrook machine.

“I’ve still got my thinking game,” he said. “I may not be as physically strong as I once was but I think I can still make good decisions.”

He certainly can, and he also reckons that Drybrook could and possibly should be going into tomorrow’s game with a 9-0-0 record just like their opponents.

“The way we’ve started, apart from the first game, has been really pleasing,” said Stevenson. “The group of boys has stepped it up game by game but we’re not getting carried away.

“That Newent game was really disappointing. In hindsight we should have beaten them. We had the better of them for 65-70 minutes but a poor 10 minutes cost us. Credit to Newent though.”

That 17-13 defeat just over two months ago at the Mannings Ground clearly still rankles, but another victory tomorrow will certainly go a long way towards helping Drybrook achieve their next goal which is promotion to South West Premier.