This week we mark the 50th League appearance of back row and all round utility forward Ciaran Galvin, an old fashioned type blindside flanker who loves to do all the down and dirty work others may baulk from. Ciaran is another product of our youth setup (as the accompanying photo illustrates), along with his brother Sean currently all a regular senior rugby participant.

We welcome our opponents this week, Old Colfeians RFC, who haven't been to Hoe Lane for many years now. After a win over Southend last week, Colfs are sitting 6th in the league.

Two games in and we sit one place above this week's opponents, with 2 bonus point wins. A good start.

Last week's win at Old Northamptonians saw the debut of winger Finn Parker who has moved to the area with work, and an impressive start it was, as he earned himself the man of the match accolade. Finn misses out on a home debut this week due to work commitments.

Whilst it looked like Hertford had established an unassailable lead with 20 minutes to go, the opposition staged a comeback which saw Hertford hanging on in the last few minutes, to end victorious and take the spoils. Whilst allowing the opposition back into the game is a little concerning, it must be noted that so many times in the last couple of seasons we have been the side finishing the game strongly and not quite getting there at the end. I know which side of the fence I would rather be on.

Having looked at all of the other results in this league so far in this campaign, I would suggest that unlike recent seasons there is unlikely to be any odds on runaway favorites. With many close results, consistency, squad strength and staying injury free are likely to be key factors come the run in, as well as working hard to maximise bonus point, whether winning or losing.

It’s going to be an exciting season.

The 2nd XV have also had an excellent start with maximum points victories leaving them 3rd but with equal points to the league leaders in County 1 Herts.

The 3rd XV sit 5th in counties 3 Herts, after 1 game, meaning maximum league points for all senior mens sides. We’ve had worse starts!

And finally, I would also like to say a thank you to all those club members who assisted with the minor medical emergency in the clubhouse after the last home fixture. It is gratefully appreciated.

See you there, mine’s a Guinness!