WITH the cup competition starting in all forms of rugby, it’s a chance for coaches to look at a few of the options within their squad.

That’s something we will be doing at Trowbridge this weekend when we face Dorchester in the quarter-finals of the Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Cup.

While it is also an opportunityto give one or two guys a break and for injuries to clear up, it’s exciting for us to see how some of our Colts players will perform under pressure.

Mixing them with some experienced players is the key, rather than just throwing a whole load of youngsters in there and seeing what happens.

We had a fantastic result in the league down at Swanage & Wareham last weekend – a lot of people couldn’t remember the last time Trowbridge got a result against them – and it was nice to end that first five-game segment of the season positively.

It’s also cup time in professional rugby, with the European competitions restarting.

I watched Toulon’s game against Glasgow and the French side’s first 40 minutes will have made most of the other sides in the competition sit up and take notice.

With the players they had last year I was quite disappointed they didn’t play an all-round game, but this year they really do look to have a plan B.

Not only that, but I get the impression that there is a real desire in that squad.

When you look at both them and fellow French outfit Clermont-Auvergne, that really does seem as though that’s where the competition is this season.

All the wrangling that has been going on at the start of this season means this may be the very last time we have a Heineken Cup.

I think that is a real shame because this competition grows and grows every season.

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