Deal & Betteshanger Rugby Club have been told that another side are “planning a raid” for their players this summer.

Head coach Dave Wiggins revealed that one member of his squad has already been offered more money to leave but is confident his team will stay together.

However, the plot has angered the former Exeter and Bristol coach, who is determined that four years of hard work at the Drill Field will not be undone by one of their rivals.

Wiggins said: “I was contacted by someone from a club to be told this particular club are planning a raid on our players.

“We’ve already had one of our players approached earlier in the season for a particular sum of money, which he wasn’t interested in taking up.

“We’re all big boys and the more successful you are, the more other clubs will look and see what’s going on.

“I’ve got no issue whatsoever with any player moving to better himself but in my opinion, a player is not bettering himself unless he’s going to move to a club at least two levels higher.

“If a player is going to move for monetary gain, that’s fine but he’s probably not what the club, the team or myself are looking for.

“I know most of our players are not interested in moving but the point is, at the moment in rugby in general and certainly in Kent, there is a lot of mistrust going on. This kind of thing does nothing to foster goodwill within the game.

“We all know what’s being said but now I’m told it’s about to happen to us. I want to bring it out into the open because if it is going to happen to us, that’s fine, we’ll react to that accordingly.

“If people want to remain in a club with that kind of thing going on, that’s up to them but we don’t run our affairs like that. I don’t think that is the way forward at this level.

“It’s not going to stop. It’s been going on for a long time. But that doesn’t mean that clubs like mine have to roll over with their legs in the air.

“We have proved that you can attract people to a rugby club without having to
pay.
“People are playing for clubs for the wrong reasons.
“My players have told me they’re staying. They’re happy to try to improve the club.”