ST AUSTELL’S new head coach Sam Parsons wants his side to ‘push as hard as we can’ as the Saints start their Regional One South West campaign tomorrow afternoon at Chew Valley (3pm).

The Tregorrick Park outfit won the Regional Two South West crown back in the 2022/23 season and since then have finished eighth and then fourth to already establish themselves at Step Five.

While the club are looking to progress further, Parsons believes they are on the right track.

The centre retired over the summer to focus on his touchline duties and admitted he can’t wait to get the serious stuff started.

He told The Voice: “I was delighted to take the offer of head coach, it’s something I have been working towards over the last few years as a player/coach first with Kyle Marriott and then with Matt Shepherd with the Saints where I started to help implement certain aspects of play.

“When the offer came over the summer, it seemed a perfect time to transition from playing into coaching.”

So what have they been working on in pre-season?

“The summer has been all about building trust and accountability within the squad.

“We have worked extremely hard on both sides of the ball. Defence was our catalyst to our good form last season and became something we could hang our hat on, so we have had a focus on accuracy and completions in our attacking areas of the field.”

The Saints have seen props Max Cardwell and Tom Hincklin join from Wadebridge Camels and Plymouth-based Tamar Saracens respectively – while Charlie Nicholson has also returned to the game after a year out, ensuring the front-row is well-stocked, particularly after losing impressive youngster Ben Woodmansey to Championship outfit Cornish Pirates.

With the league implementing a new play-off system where second and third will take on the winner of the same game in the other Regional One Severn league for the right for promotion, the Saints could be one of the sides in the mix come the spring.

Parsons continued: “The aim is to keep improving and setting new targets. As a group of players, coaching staff and as a club we all have ambitions. We know this is a strong league, and with the additions it has got even more competitive, so it’s up to us to set our standards high and push as hard as we can.

“We are all really happy with the additions we’ve made and we are waiting on a few lads who have been on trial with some top clubs, so there are potentially still some very exciting players to come in.

“We also welcome the return of Cam Taylor and Max Bullen from season-long injuries, and both feel like new signings.

“On the departure front we bid farewell to Ben Woodmansey who was outstanding on and off the field for us last season, and it was no surprise he finished the season playing Championship rugby at the Pirates.”

While Brixham, relegated Devonport Services and promoted Topsham are expected to fare well, it is obvious Parsons is setting his sights on improving on last year’s fourth-placed finish.

He said: “All in all this will be a very interesting season for the Saints with the addition of the play-off system to the league.

“There is a real carrot being dangled for a lot of clubs, so it’s all to play for.

“It would be great to see as many people at Tregorrick next week for our first home game against Lydney, but for now it’s full focus on our tough trip to Chew Valley for our season opener.”

St Austell name a familiar looking team although none of the three new signings are involved, while the key trio of Matt Shepherd, Kyle Marriott and Tom Daniel are out injured.

ST AUSTELL at Chew Valley: Archie Bees; Arthur Fletcher, Jamie Stanlake, Ben Plummer (co-captain), Max Bullen; Chris Ashwin, Dan Tyrrell; Dan Bennett, Pete Harris, Matt Boothby; Mark Vian (co-captain), Adam Powell; Hector Bright, Cam Taylor, Rory Jago. Replacements: Riley Raikes, Pete Fletcher, George Tregilgas.