SWINDON College Old Boys will not be taking their opponents lightly as they prepare for their Southern Counties Senior Vase semi-final.

Mark Lea’s side face Hungerford, who also ply their trade in the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Premier division, and, despite beating them 25-10 back in October, captain Gareth Davis has said that College will be prepared for a tough contest.

A hat-trick of tries from Matt Allen and a solo effort from Toby Haynes was enough to see off their M4 neighbours last time out and Davis is hoping for a similar result this time to move them one step closer to a date at Twickenham.

“We are feeling pretty confident after last Saturday’s win against Gosford All Blacks, who are a tough side and we ended up beating them quite comfortably,” said the hooker.

“We are not going to take Hungerford lightly but I’m confident that, if we play our own game, we can come away with the win.

“The boys are quite upbeat after the way things have gone and we look to take that forward.”

College will face Hungerford again in the league the week after and when Davis was asked which game the players would rather win he said: “I would probably take the win in the cup because at the end of the road is a trip to Twickenham.

“We have a 10-point cushion in the league, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t win both games.”

Head coach Lea will be trying to keep the squad’s feet on the ground but admits the cup run they have been on has been ‘exciting’.

“As the coaching team, Martin Lloyd and I, see the league as the priority, however, a cup run is exciting and draws attention to our great club,” said Lea, whose side have only lost once this season.

“The lads get more excited about the cup run with the possibility of playing at Twickenham. This can mean a few older heads showing up at training hoping to sneak into a bench spot for the weekend’s game.

“Hungerford are one of the better sides we have faced. We expect a great game and we cannot afford to take them lightly.”