Momentum is watchword for Ampthill as they look to carry their form

The Mob finished 10th last term, comfortably clear of the drop and just 10 points off the play-offs thanks to six wins from their final seven matches of the season.

Their impressive finale serves as quiet encouragement for the new term, with Ampthill ready to build on the success they found in the spring and challenge right at the top end of the table.

For scrum-half Efan Jones, that means securing a home play-off match and bettering the club’s best-ever finish in the process.

With the core of last season’s squad retained for the new campaign, Jones believes the foundations are in place to make headlines.

“We are targeting top four, that’s our aim for the season,” he said. “We will say it loud and proud. We wear it like a shield.

“We have the spine of the team set from last year. We have lost some really good players but we have also brought in some really good players so it is a case of getting them to play the Ampthill way and going into the season with a bit of confidence and a bit of freedom.

“Especially this pre-season, we’ve been playing with so much freedom. We focused more on being a bit more mature while having that license to take people on and play from anywhere we want. Going into this season, I think we will have the best of both worlds.”

Dreams of the play-offs at Dillingham Park are supported by Ampthill’s partnership with Saracens, which sees a regular stream of players temporarily head to Bedfordshire to gain vital experience in a competitive environment.

The Mob benefitted from the likes of England hotshot Noah Caluori turning out for them last season, with Sarries team-mates Finn Keylock, Luke Davidson and Jack Bracken amongst those also tasting Champ action as the partnership between the clubs was used to full effect.

For Jones, the opportunity to add burgeoning young talent is an exciting one but something he knows can only be effective if they are joining a well-drilled unit playing week in, week out.

“It is always nice to see those quality boys coming in to play,” he added.

“We’re focussing on having that core group playing really well to start with and if boys come in and out throughout the season, they are coming in and adding their star quality into an already set base.

“That worked well at the end of last season and that’s the way we want to do it this season.

“It is great for development. You have got those fringe players who are not quite getting into PREM teams, you need that second tier to push them on.

“There is some real quality in the Champ. For young boys coming in, it is a real opportunity to learn off quality players.”

Ampthill are not just relying on Saracens for young talent, though, with The Mob recruiting a number of exciting young players to start the season.

Centre Toby Baker joins from Bristol as part of a crop of young talent arriving from the Prem, while second row George Nugent makes the move north after a strong campaign with Richmond.

It all adds up to quiet confidence in Bedfordshire, where they are also aiming to grab local bragging rights over Bedford Blues.

“I don’t think we have beaten them [Bedford] for a few years now and we have got to change the tide in that sense,” added Jones.

“Everyone really looks forward to those local derbies because it brings out a little bit of an edge to the crowd, a little edge to the game.

“We have got the core group to rise to that challenge this year. We will go in confident, we will go in thinking we are going to win the game.”

Played by professional and semi-professional players, Elior Champ Rugby provides a ‘Proving Ground’ for future stars. Watch every game live on Clubber TV and free-to-air on BLAZE on Sunday afternoons.