On the eve of the first game of the 2024/25 season, OPRFC Head Coach, Paul Davis, gives us his thoughts on the previous campaign as well as looking forward to the new one.

Davis completed his first full season in charge of OPs in 2023/24, having previously been Forwards Coach ; this comes after a career in professional rugby, having been with Exeter Chiefs and Plymouth Albion, as well as representing England Students and captaining England Colleges.

In the 2023/24 season, the 1st XV finished 4th in the league, the 2nd XV made the plays off in theirs and the Vets retained their Cup title. Would you consider the campaign a success?

I think it was a positive season on the whole ; as a club we made really good strides on and off the pitch. Th Vets retaining the Middlesex Vets Cup was a real highlight and it’s great to see that they have been keen to enter the Vets League for the forthcoming season.

Retaining fourth position in Regional 2 Thames with the 1st XV was something we were largely happy with and I was delighted that the Saints (the 2nd XV) were able to make the playoffs, showing that we have good strength in depth.

What are your highlights from 2023/24?

Having two competitive sides playing week in, week out was probably my biggest highlight of the campaign ; a small, player led club like OPs comes with its own unique challenges and knowing that the appetite to play is there is music to my ears as a Head Coach!

How have pre-season preparations been progresssing? How healthy is the club looking with the first match approaching on Saturday?

It's been good. The lads have put in a huge amount of effort, especially around their personal fitness and taking accountability for game preparation. Just as encouraging is being able to take squads of 25 into both our pre-season fixtures (against Wasps and Ealing 1871 respectively) - it's really important that we get as many players as possible on the pitch before the more competitive fixtures start.

- Do you have any particualr aims for OPRFC this season?

Bettering ourselves both as individuals, teams and as a club is one of the key aims for 2024/25, I think. Being able to focus on our processes - knowing and replicating what we're doing right but also scrutinising and acting on what we're doing wrong - ought put us in good stead both during the season and gives us something to work with once it ends.

That, and continuing to build a positive environment off the pitch!