Friendly derby encounter

Weston take on neighbours Clevedon on Saturday in their second friendly match of the season.

WESTON will host North Somerset neighbours Clevedon on Saturday (2.30pm), and then take on National League Two side Taunton on August 23 (7.30pm).

The Seasiders have restructured their playing side with Simon Godfrey, a former Weston fly-half, becoming chairman of rugby with Steve Worrell linking-up with Paul Redman as joint head coaches.

Worrell, a former director of rugby with the RAF, said: “Numbers at pre-season training have been encouraging and the big thing that we have been working on is general conditioning.

“We want the lads to be match fit well before the season gets underway and have increased the work-rate, training wise, because of the style of game that we want to play.

“It will involve a lot of physicality, but also be conditioned correctly and we have been doing some grappling work just to give the guys different ideas about moving heavy weights out of the way.

“With the new laws being introduced this season, I think the game will be more fluid and that is the style of play that we want to adopt as well as a different structure of how we want to play the game.”

Admission to the pre-season games is free.

WESTON have a bye in the first round of the Somerset Cup this coming season.

Byes were also given to Bristol Harlequins, Old Redcliffians and North Petherton.

The full first round draw, to be played over the weekend of November 10/11 is: Taunton v University of Bath; Hornets v Wellington; Burnham v Bridgwater; Frome v Clevedon.

The other cup dates are: round two, December 22-23; semi-finals: February 23-24. The date of the final will be announced in due course.