This result puts them in 2nd place in Counties 2 Somerset on points difference behind Midsomer Norton. With both teams enjoying unbeaten starts, something has to give on Saturday when the top two face each other at Hicks Field.

Unrelenting pressure saw Avon camp inside Saints 22 but were denied by committed defence until Dan Cousineau powered his way over for the opening score. Rob Fitch added a penalty before Saints responded with a try to close the gap. Cousineau continued to punch big holes in the defence, supported by an imposing presence in midfield from Escher le Duc who constantly crossed the gain line.

Eventually Avon’s endeavours were rewarded after another midfield burst allowed play to suddenly switch to the blind side where Fitch dummied over for their second try, which he duly converted.

A converted try allowed the home side to narrow the deficit to 3 points just after half time but then Avon exploded into life with a flurry of tries. A perfectly executed line out catch and drive ended up with hooker Sam Book touching down, then a well-created overlap resulted in winger Jack Moore scoring in the corner. Avon continued to control the game well and exploited the tiring home defence as man-of-the match Cousineau crashed over for this second try.

A charged down kick was collected by Fitch who unleashed Matt Thresher on a 50 metre sprint to the try line. Mark Davies came off the bench for his seasonal debut and burst down the blind side before cleverly offloading to Moore for his second try. With another 3 conversions added, Avon were now firmly in control on the pitch and on the scoreboard. It came as no surprise when replacement Ben Hurd finished off another powerful drive to score their 8th try.

As the match reached its conclusion on a lovely day for rugby, St Bernadettes had the consolation of adding another try just before the final whistle.

Afterwards skipper Kane Book said “We are showing clear signs of developing our game plan but just lacking some precision and key decision making at times to take us to the next level”