There can’t be too many players – if any – who have made their 200^th senior appearance for their club at Twickenham, scored a try which helped their team win the game and then walked around the famous ground with a trophy in their arms.

But that’s exactly what Steve Phillips did at the weekend as Longlevens won the Papa John’s Community Cup Counties 1 Championship final with a 25-19 win over Widnes.

“It was the best, you couldn’t write it any better,” said the long-serving number eight.”

Winning the trophy was very special, of course, but scoring a try made it just that bit more special for the 31-year-old.

“Yes, it did,” he said. “It was a little pick and go, scrum-half Brad Wilkins gave me the ball and I went over for the try.”

That was Longlevens’ third try of the game – they scored four – and it cemented Phillips’ position as the club’s leading try-scorer this season.

“I scored 19 in 20 games,” he said with obvious pride.

Those tries also helped Longlevens win promotion from Counties 1 Western North and he  played in all five games of the Papa John’s campaign.

“I actually thought my 200^th game was going to be in the second round of the competition against Swanage,” admitted Phillips.

“But the club did a recount and found out it was actually my 197^th so it all worked out brilliantly!”

And Phillips is no stranger to playing at Twickenham because he was part of the Longlevens squad that won the RFU Junior Vase in May 2014, beating Rugby Lions 23-12.

“I was on the bench,” he recalled. “I came on for the last 25 minutes. There were eight of us who were involved in both cup finals.”

The other seven were Mike Yorke, Josh Lyons, Jack Beck, Dave Edwards, Mark Hancock, Tom Griffiths and Ollie Deacon and Phillips added: “It’s great to win at Twickenham with friends who you’ve known for such a long time.”

Phillips, a former pupil at Churchdown School, has been playing for the club since the age of six.

He had two or three seasons with Old Cryptians in his mid-teens but returned to Longlevens at the age of 18 and has been a first-team player ever since.

So will Saturday be his swansong?

“It depends who’s listening,” he said with a laugh, before adding, “I’ve definitely got one more season, I want to keep on going.”

He describes himself as a big ball carrier and said the win over Widnes was sweeter than the victory over Rugby Lions a decade earlier.

“When you’re younger you don’t really take it all in,” he said.

“For me, Twickenham on Saturday was the best.

“The competition was a good standard, it was all the top teams at our level. We beat Ledbury, Swanage, Nailsea and Kings Old Boys to reach the final.

“Winning the North Gloucestershire Combination Senior Cup last season was massive for the club but I didn’t play in that final because of a shoulder injury.”

Phillips, who used to play cricket for Redmarley and Down Hatherley, had plenty of support at Twickenham.

His dad Neville, wife Louise, brother Dan and in-laws Nick and Sandra Soule were all in south west London to see his never-to-be-forgotten day and he’s certainly going to enjoy it for a long time to come.

“I’m not the most humble of people,” he said with another laugh. “I’m going to be unbearable for the next few years!”