Brixham battling for historic anniversary promotion

It has been a year of celebration for Brixham Rugby Club and the biggest party of all is potentially just four matches away.

The 2024/25 season marks 150 years of rugby in Brixham and the Fishermen currently sit one point above Barnstaple in the Regional 1 Tribute SW Division, tantalisingly close to a first ever promotion to Level 4 of the English game, National League 2.

However, as Head Coach Adam Thomas describes, there is much work to be done and it could not be closer between Brixham and Barnstaple.

“After 160 minutes of rugby between us, we’ve beaten them by one point,” said Thomas. “We drew at home and won by a single point at their place, which shows how tight it is between the top sides.

“I wouldn’t call it exciting for me, probably more like stressful, but it couldn’t be tighter and no room for error. We’ve got to do our best, work our hardest and make sure there are no errors.

“We need four wins, we know that, and ideally four bonus points wins to make sure nobody can catch us because we know Barnstaple are on our heels. I can’t see Barnstaple making any mistakes, so we have to focus on us.”

After a weekend break from action, Brixham travel to mid-table Matson on Saturday, followed by Sidmouth (H), Royal Wootton Bassett (A) and then a tough final day on April 5, when fourth-placed Launceston visit Astley Park.

“Gone are the days when you would have easy games, the league is so competitive and the guys making the least amount of errors are the ones at the top of the table,” added Thomas.

“It’s not necessarily about having the best players with the best ability, it’s having a unit who will stick to a game plan and execute it really well because the small margins can cost you.

“It’s also really important to get your bonus points, whether it’s a losing bonus point or scoring four tries. In the past few years, the league has been extremely competitive and that’s not showing any signs of changing.

“As a coach and the players, it’s important we stay grounded and don’t focus too much on the prospect of promotion.

“We keep it in the back of our minds but the real focus is on each game. You do look ahead as a coach, of course, thinking about what results might go your way but it’s important we don’t change anything.

“What we’ve been doing has been working consistently and we don’t want to make any rash decisions to change things.

“There is just one place for promotion, so a big finish ahead. As far as I know, no club in Torbay has reached the National Two level.

“Brixham has been around for 150 years, so it would be an incredible achievement but we know there is a seriously hard end to the season ahead of us. The players are fully committed to seeing this through.”