Hampshire One title our target

A MAJOR overhaul in the management team has not diminished the ambition of the Guernsey Rugby Club. The first XV has a new coach and a new captain this season but the targets have not changed over the past 12 months.

New Zealander Carl Johnson has taken over the skipper's role from Stuart Lloyd-Jones and he, like his predecessor, wants to conquer Hampshire League One.

'For the past two years we have come third and the first of those seasons was a good improvement on the previous one. Last year, though, we were a bit disappointed to come only third. It came down to injuries and not quite having the depth of squad to finish the season strongly.

'After two-thirds of the season, we had scored 100 points more than anyone else and we were the most prolific try-scoring team by a country mile, but over the last few games we let it slip. We will try and wrap it up this time.'

Guernsey have not been helped in the past two seasons by having some top players leave the island.

Former club captain John Morris moved because of work while Gareth Andrews is currently at university in Australia.

But there is no doubt that Guernsey has enough talent to challenge for the Hampshire League One title - previous results show that.

'In the two seasons that I have played for the club, we have done really well up to Christmas but have found it difficult to keep the momentum going,' Johnson said.

'But you have to be realistic. We have beaten all the teams in the league so we know we are capable of winning the title.'

The Sarnians achieved their recent success under the guidance of Dave Wallace, who has stepped down as first XV coach, with Rob Box taking over the mantle.

He will use three other coaches during the season - Steve Hale, John Colley and Colin McClatchey - as his assistants and the new skipper has been impressed with how things are working thus far under this team.

'It will take people who have played under Dave for so long a few sessions to get used to a new coach,' Johnson said.

'He is looking to continue with the same theme of rugby, a fast, dynamic running game, because it suits our players.

'So it is the same sort of alignment but it is quite a different approach to training and the structure. He has come in with a team-coaching approach. He has brought in a number of specialists to concentrate on different areas - it is quite a modern approach.

'From the first few training sessions, you have always got the attention of a coach - they are always looking at what you are doing.'

Wallace has left an excellent base for Box to work from.

The squad has plenty of talent and an enviable home record over recent times.

'We are very strong at home. Apart from the Siam, we have lost only one game at home in the past 18 months. We get really good crowds.'

But there is still much to work on and the new management team are actively examining ways in which to improve.

'We are looking to work on a few techniques with regards to travelling and how to prepare better for away games because we have so much more travelling to do than anyone else in the league.

'It has been our regular practice to get an early morning flight to Southampton and then we are often sitting around at the airport for a couple of hours before the coach arrives to take us to the ground.

'We want to be fresh and alert for those games and there are certain things we could look at doing, even just taking a shower beforehand to freshen up,' Johnson said.

With pre-season having begun three weeks ago, the club is getting a regular attendance at training.

Although some stalwarts have now retired from playing, Steve Burt being an example, there are still many familiar faces.

Veterans such as Jock Quesnel are still keen to be involved and their presence is very important to the other squad members.

But new players are always welcome to join, with places in the first or second team (who play in Jersey's Sugden League) at stake.

'Now we are in August, we get people consistently training,' said the skipper.

'We have a couple of new players who look quite useful - a couple of South African backs.

'One played for us towards the end of last season and one of his friends is now with us.

'He is a winger and is looking very sharp.'

But while the Hampshire League One campaign is the focus for the squad throughout the majority of the season, the big game remains the Siam Cup.

'It is quite hard when you are first coming in and so much work goes into the league games and then you find that the Guernsey people really see that one game as the be-all and end-all.

'It is a difficult concept to come to terms with initially,' said Johnson, who originates from Palmerston North, in New Zealand's North Island.

'We can do marvellously well in everything else, like winning the Hampshire Bowl, but no one is really interested in that before winning the Siam.

'It is a huge game, the game of the year. The support is overwhelming and there is that deep seated rivalry.

'Even when you go over to Jersey to play in other games against the club sides, whether it be Les Quennevais or United Banks or whoever, there is that same feeling of competition. You almost take it at a personal level,' said the 33-year-old.