Canterbury’s impressive win last Saturday is something Matt Corker hopes they can now build on.

A nailbiting finish at Dorking ended with a win for Canterbury - ending a long wait for a victory over a top-four side and putting to bed a couple of painful trips to the Surrey club.

Report: Dorking 34 Canterbury 35

Head coach Corker has challenged his side to match that performance when they host an in-form Sevenoaks outfit this Saturday.

“That was a really big result for us,” said Corker, following the 35-34 victory that was only settled after Dorking missed a last-kick conversion.

“We were going there as a test, to find out where we were as a group. I keep telling the boys that we’ve improved and this is the mark of it - and that we’re heading in the right direction.

“The lads take the mick out of me as I say every week it’s a big week. What is great about the level we play at is that every game is a challenge. We have another this week.

“It’s potentially an even bigger challenge. Sevenoaks come to us in good form, off the back of three wins, after a tough start for them. I have seen them play, they are a tough team and they don’t give up. They seem to have worked out the best way to win as well.

“We need to produce our best performance week in, week out, which is tough.”

Dorking were in great form before facing Canterbury, sitting second in National League 2 East.

They scored the game’s opening try but Canterbury responded. Frank Reynolds converted tries from Frank Morgan and Aiden Moss and also scored two penalties. It was Moss’ 200th appearance for the club.

“I was so happy for Aiden,” added Corker. “He’s a phenomenal talent and a great servant to the club.

“In terms of someone as an attacking threat with the ball, you’d have to go a long way to find a better runner. He’s a big, elusive man and we’ve been very lucky to have him for such a long time. He’s a great bloke as well.”

Canterbury extended their 20-17 half-time lead with another Reynolds penalty and tries by Kurt Heatherley and Eoin O’Donoghue.

Dorking rallied in the last quarter, scoring an 80th-minute try to get within a point of Canterbury’s lead, before missing the extras, ensuring the city side took the win.

Corker said: “To win the game by someone failing doesn’t diminish what they achieved - we pushed them that far that they needed to kick those points and they didn’t. We fully deserved the win.

“We were very focused on making sure we had a very different day at Dorking than we had in the last two seasons, which had been quite bad days for us.

“We conceded 52 [points] two years ago and 42 last year. We hadn’t shown our best and the boys were really motivated. You always want to give your best and that was our real focus.

“We went to be very physical and to play our rugby and for the first half the lads executed it so well. Dorking looked a bit shocked. They had been 10 unbeaten, on a really good run of form, but my message to the lads is always the same.

“If we win collisions and move the ball the way that we can, we can be a hell of a team and it’s just about getting the boys to believe that. It came together really well.

“We hadn’t beaten a team in the top four for a couple of seasons, we have been chasing that win for a little while now, we’ve come close on a few occasions. That is also why it was a really good sign for us.

“It is the halfway stage and we are up to nine wins. Last year we won 13 in a season. We are definitely ahead of where we were.

“We still have 13 tough games between now and the end of the season and if we really want to show we’ve progressed, we need to go the full distance.”

Canterbury are up to fourth in the table and Corker knows they need to maintain standards to stay there.

He said: “You can’t be amongst that group without getting results against them. I am looking forward to the second half of the season because we have only played one of the top six teams at home, that was Barnes. We still have Dorking, Tonbridge Juddians, Henley and Guernsey to come to us.

“We have a good opportunity but it is important we don’t fast forward too much. We want to finish the year right and Sevenoaks will be looking to continue their good form.

“The challenge for us is to back up that win and when we start doing it week in, week out, we know we won’t just be top four for one week, we’ll be there come the end of the season.”