Two wins out of two since the turn of the year have taken Dursley into the top two in Counties 2 Gloucestershire South.

Their 43-12 win at North Bristol on Saturday followed a 38-14 win at home to Bristol Saracens seven days earlier, and they head to Old Colstonians at the weekend hoping to make it seven wins in a row.

They’ve won 12 of their last 13 after losing at home to Dings Crusaders 2nds on the opening day of the season.

High-flying Dings are seven points clear of Dursley – they’ve both played 14 games in the 12-strong division – and are clear favourites to win the title.

Dursley travel to Dings on the final day of the season and club captain and second row Will Hayward said: “They are the best team in the league by a long way.

“Their first team play in National League 1, they need their 2nds to win promotion to get closer to them in the league.”

Counties 2 in Gloucestershire is being restructured at the end of the season with the top teams from South and North merging to form a single division while the remainder will be placed in a newly created lower division.

That would end the need for an end-of-season play-off between the champions of Counties 2 North and South to determine which club takes the one promotion place, although at this stage no one is entirely sure how many teams from each of North and South will make it into the top division.

“We want to finish in the top four, preferably the top three,” said Hayward. “We think a top-four finish will get us into the new higher division.

“Dings are going to win the league and I think they’ll win the end-of-season play-off. I’m 27 and I’ve been playing senior rugby for 10 years, they are the best team I’ve played against.

“They are quicker, stronger and better organised. The club have got a phenomenal set-up.”

Dursley, who won the old Gloucestershire 1 South in 2021/22, are one of the more established clubs in Counties 2 Gloucestershire South but they have certainly kicked on in the current campaign.

Ed Sheldon has taken over as head coach and Hayward is a big fan.

“He’s got the social side going which is really important, and on the pitch he’s driven us forward,” said Hayward, who was first-team captain for the previous two seasons.

“He played for Dursley for one season when he was 17. He’s a Dursley boy and went on to play for Moseley, Hartpury, Cinderford and Dings Crusaders.”