Two clubs looking to rebuild go head-to-head in Counties 3 Gloucestershire North on Saturday.

As the host club, it’s a particularly big day for Stroud and they’ll be hoping for another 100-plus crowd for the visit of Old Patesians (3pm).

“The support has been really good so far this season,” said Stroud president Russ Hillier, “we’re really looking forward to the game.”

And it should be a good game with two in-form teams looking to build on their encouraging starts to the campaign.

It’s still very early days of course but Pats boast a played three, won three record this season, while Stroud have won two of their opening three games.

“The aim is to finish in the top four,” continued Hillier. “What we really want to do is to get our 2^nd XV up and running and established.”

Both Stroud and Old Patesians, who traditionally have been two of the strongest clubs in the area, have experienced some tough times in the very recent past, of course.

Both have suffered from losing key players. Stroud were forced to drop down several levels after winning what was then Western Counties North in 2020/21, while the Pats gave up their place in Regional 2 Severn just before the start of the current campaign.

“It wasn’t so long ago that we were playing each other in a County Cup final in the days when that really meant something,” said Hillier. “And we’ve both played at Twickenham in the not too distant past, there aren’t too many clubs who can say that.”

That is very true, with Stroud losing out to Bedford Athletic in the RFU Intermediate Cup final in extra time at the home of English rugby in 1998, while three years later the Pats overcame Blaydon 25-24 in the same competition.

So there will certainly be plenty for the supporters of both clubs to talk about at Fromehall Park, both looking back and looking to the future. As Hillier says: “We’ve always had a good relationship with Old Patesians both on and off the pitch.”