Villagers in fine fettle on and off the pitch under Easter
CHINNOR are thriving on and off the pitch with director of rugby Nick Easter overseeing a “change of culture” that has contributed to an incredible turnaround for the National One table toppers.
The 45-year-old 54-cap former England No.8 took over in December 2022 with the club languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Chinnor won 11 of their final 15 outings last season under Easter to finish eighth and have carried that momentum into this campaign.
The Oxfordshire side, that prides itself on being family friendly, came into this weekend with 18 wins from 22 outings and are five points clear of second at the top of the table going into the final few rounds.
Easter told The Rugby Paper: “I came in when the club were third from bottom. I noticed the setpiece and defence needed sorting out, but also the culture and environment at the club because it wasn’t right.
“A few people needed to be let go whether that’s players or coaches as it wasn’t a happy place. I made training a lot more intense which the squad wasn’t used to as they’d never trained at that level before but now they are used to it.
“What’s surprised me most this season is every single Tuesday and Thursday we’ve had 35plus players training, there’s been 20 of my recruits there, ten youngsters from the colts and guys just from the local area.”
Chinnor have a 550-strong junior and minis section with 20 per cent (114) girls after a girls section was established five years ago, and have four senior rugby sides as well as a veterans team.
Easter’s first-teamers beat Bishop’s Stortford 80-10 last weekend, but the former Harlequins back rower says the title race is going to the wire with local rivals Rams still in touching distance.
He said: “Rams were up there before last year
and got pipped at the post by Cambridge, so they are used to being in this position. This is the highest we’ve been in the club’s history but there’s four games to go and one prize awaits.
“Since we beat Rams at Christmas we’ve come back in the New Year, lost only to Blackheath, but there’s still a lot of rugby to be played. There’s good teams in this league that on their day can spring a surprise.
“We’re into the money months of the season and sometimes the squad can be jaded, running on empty, but the loss to Blackheath has sharpened the focus and we’ve changed how we train with the leaders taking a higher responsibility. If you keep doing the same thing all the time teams will overtake you or work you out.”
An impressive crowd of 2,500 saw Chinnor’s 21-7 Friday night lights victory over rivals Rams in December and attendances have been in the thousands across the season.
The club recently had a local BBC feature and are hoping for an ITV broadcast before the end of the season to increase exposure.
Easter said: “For rugby clubs like Chinnor, it’s about creating interest and letting people know they are there because it still surprises people to this day what we’re doing.
“Rugby is in a difficult place in terms of participation and viewership in this country, so we’re doing our bit to gather awareness and profile for the club which is shown in the numbers. The amount of people that have come to games this side of Christmas has way surpassed last year when I came to the club.”