High-flying Stroud head to bottom-of-the-table Bream on Saturday hoping to make it five wins out of five in Counties 2 Gloucestershire.

The in-form side are second only on points difference to Frampton Cotterell in the 12-strong division after claiming four bonus-point victories.

Their 64-24 success at home to Old Richians at the weekend took the number of points they have scored in the league to above 180, and skipper Joe Ashenford said: “It’s been a great start, fantastic.”

And what makes it all the more impressive is that two of the teams they have beaten – Cheltenham North and Old Patesians – both finished more than 20 points clear of them in Counties 2 Gloucestershire North in 2024/25.

The newly-formed Counties 2 Gloucestershire is a much stronger division and 28-year-old Ashenford, a scrum-half, admits he has been surprised by their start.

“I didn’t expect us to perform quite as well as we have been,” he said. “The aim this season was not to put any pressure on ourselves, we just wanted to play rugby and enjoy it.”

It’s always more enjoyable when you’re winning, of course, and new head coach Ben Smith will certainly be delighted with the start.

“He’s had a big impact,” said Ashenford, a first-team regular for a good number of years and someone who has been associated with the club for pretty much all his life.

“He’s brought more intensity to the training sessions and there’s a lot more focus on our skill-set.

“The new playing structure is working really well, we’re playing much more off the forwards.”

Ashenford, who is in his second season as 1^st XV captain, scored two tries on Saturday, his first of the campaign, and while he’s pleased with the start his side have made, he’s not getting carried away.

“This is a much stronger division, there aren’t any weak teams,” he said. “It’s still early in the season but we don’t have any aims for the season, we just want to enjoy playing rugby.”