Canterbury Rugby Club could not have asked for much more from their first team so far this season.

Sitting pretty at the top of National League 3 London & SE, they remain unbeaten, having won all 18 of their games so far, and are well on course for promotion back to National League 2 South. Having suffered final day relegation last year, the team had something of an overhaul in pre-season and new coach Andy Pratt has helped transform the team into a winning one.

Chairman Giles Hilton has been involved with the club since the 1970s, and has spoken of his delight at the success of the club this term.

He said: “I think we know we probably didn’t perform to the best of our ability both collectively and individually last year, so a fair amount of soul searching went on amongst ourselves as a team and individually as players and managers and coaches and backroom staff, and I think we’ve hopefully come up currently with the right recipe.”

Come up with the right recipe for sure – the first team are yet to lose a game in any competition so far this season – and have scored 750 points in their 18 league outings so far.

It is not only the First XV that are doing the club proud though – the 2nd and 3rd XV teams are also riding high, with the Seconds also unbeaten and leading their division, and the Thirds currently occupying second in Invicta 3.

When speaking with Giles in November he commented on the club’s success, saying: “I think if we add it all up, throughout the club with all five senior sides and the ladies side, we have played 48 games and lost five or six, so there’s a real turnaround of fortune.”

With promotion seemingly on the cards for the First XV this season, Giles also understands the necessity of stability at the club if their success is to continue. He said: “It has to be structured that it’s sustainable – there’s no point being up one year and down the next, whatever level you get to – you’ve got to stay there.”

With this, Giles feels more good times could be coming for the club in the future. He said: “Obviously promotion is the end game for this coming season, re-establishing ourselves in National League 2, and then with player crop that are coming through, players in Kent that we might be able to attract that might want to come and play here, then pushing on through to certainly National League 1 – I see no reason why National 1 shouldn’t be an option in the next five to eight years.”

Life certainly looks good for Canterbury RFC at the moment then, and if they can keep up their form on the field, the sky may well be the limit for the Merton Lane-based club.

For more, check out my exclusive You Tube video about Canterbury Rugby Club:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCLF6o_2dCM#