Quite a game on Saturday wasn’t it? Our Taunton 1st XV came so agonisingly close to getting a result over table toppers Worthing.

Just a month or so ago many might have anticipated a 30-point drubbing given our poor early season form. Few would have given us a chance, but with just a little more rub of the green we really could have won it on Saturday, arguably should have in fact.

So what is the reason behind Taunton’s systemic improvement since the 62 point thrashing at Olds Albanions just a few weeks ago? Having actively attended most training sessions I reckon I can shed a little light on the matter, particularly the performance against a very capable Worthing Raiders side.

It was encouraging to see the Taunton coaches had last week showed initiative and secured video material of a recent Worthing game in advance of Saturdays encounter. Forwards Coach Chris Bentley was able to utilise analysis resources at his disposal to properly dissect and examine the Worthing set piece, their lines of attack, defence and other elements of their play.

Armed with this valuable information, the Taunton coaching team were subsequently able to prepare training sessions specifically tailored to Worthing’s game. Add to this the squad’s progressive exposure to more advanced training techniques by Bentos, Yappy et al and you begin to understand the reasons behind Taunton’s improving form. Chris tells me that it’s only just beginning to come through on match day, but to spectators the result of our developing training sessions and video analysis is clear to see, even if the score line wasn’t quite what we wanted this past weekend!

A forward pack driven back 15ft off our own scrum ball against Hertford was rock solid on Saturday. Our lineout was unrecognisable from that of 5 weeks ago. Our backs, following specific instructions on how best to attack and defend against Worthing, nullified their attack and exploited weaknesses resulting in three Taunton tries against one of the best defences in the league.

This level of preparation is a somewhat new, but nonetheless invaluable, development for Taunton it would seem. It’ll need to continue if they are to grow and develop further, seeking to progress up the leagues. Professional services, such as Opta, provide a wealth of data to Premiership clubs for just the purpose of advancing coaching techniques. But even without TV coverage, to think that teams at level 4 rugby don’t at least watch each other’s fixtures or share match DVDs is naive at best.

I suppose my point is that Taunton are greatly benefitted by having the vast experience of Chris Bentley and Tony Yapp to prepare our team in such a manner, and using such material as they did, in my opinion, was the big difference this week. My hope now is that these developments and assets are noticed and provision made so the coaches can enhance and build on them further…