In-form Stroud head to Smiths tomorrow night for a game under the lights at the Prince of Wales Stadium looking to make it six wins in a row in Counties 2 Gloucestershire.

And if they could upset the third-placed side that would certainly be a statement win for the club because it would be the first time this season that they had beaten one of the leading teams in the league.

Stroud have actually climbed into fifth spot in the 12-team division on the back of their recent run – they have won 10 of their 15 league games – but their five defeats have come against teams who are all in the top half of the division.

Stroud’s league campaign can be split into equal thirds because they won their first five games before losing their next five.

That run of defeats included a 50-17 loss at home to Smiths at the beginning of November and club captain Sam Leworthy said: “The game against Smiths is a big one, it would be a good game to win.”

High-flying Smiths still have hopes of overhauling leaders Cinderford United, who they trail by seven points, and Leworthy continued: “It’s a good league, there are some good teams, it’s good for rugby in the area.”

The game against Smiths is the start of a run of five games for Stroud that sees them also host fourth-placed St Mary’s OBs, travel to second-placed Frampton Cotterell, and entertain Old Elizabethans and Cinderford United.

“I’m proud of the boys,” said Leworthy, who is hoping to return to action before the end of the season after picking up a serious knee injury at the end of the previous campaign.

“We’ve beaten Old Patesians home and away and we’ve beaten Dursley, which was really good because they’ve beaten us so often in the Stroud Combination Cup.”

They also won 38-36 at Tewkesbury on the opening day of the season and they will be returning to Tewkesbury on Saturday 2^nd May for an RFU Community Cup Counties 2 South Plate quarter-final tie.

“That’s a competition we’re targeting,” said Leworthy.

Meanwhile, former Leicester and England fly-half Andy Goode will be at the Prince of Wales Stadium on Friday to share insights on his 18-year professional career ahead of the game between Smiths and Stroud.