Head coach Andy Pratt says Canterbury Rugby Club's trials on the pitch this season have provided a timely reminder to everyone at Merton Lane how hard it is just to survive in National 2 South.

Beset by injuries, Canterbury flirted with relegation for much of the season only securing the point they needed to be safe in the penultimate game of the season, at Cambridge.

Saturday’s 48-5 home win over Clifton lifted the club up to 11th but with a planned league
re-structure having been pushed back, Pratt admits Canterbury might need another season of consolidation before they think about progression.

He said: “Realistically we’re punching above our weight just by being in this division, not by a huge amount but we have to get things absolutely right.

“The previous season (when they finished fourth) probably created false expectations, which is fair enough because we did well but the last three games of that (season) we fell off a bit and probably with the injuries we picked up at the start of this season, it was always going to be hard.”

Pratt says the loss of several players, among them skipper Tom Sherson, Adam Cathcart and Charlie Harding, will again make things difficult next season.

He added: “There’s a lot of re-building to do and I’ve got to say now that next year the goal will be to stay up but we can do it and we’re in a better place in terms of our expectations than we were possibly 12 months ago.”