Chinnor gunning for a top six spot in the Champ

After finishing 10th in their first season in the second tier, the Oxfordshire side have emerged as one of the division’s surprise packages this term, pushing firmly into the top half.

While results have improved and a play-off appearance looks to be on the horizon, the South African powerhouse insists the club’s identity has remained intact, with the biggest shift coming in their approach to training.

He told The Rugby Paper: “This year, we’ve realised what’s expected and now it’s about bringing our game and how we want to play.”

Culture

He continued: “I think that’s showing now – teams have come away from playing us and said that was a tough game. The culture hasn’t really changed.

“When I came here, I found a family straight away. It’s hard to describe unless you’re part of it, but there’s a real camaraderie and togetherness.

“A lot of lads come here and don’t want to leave because of that. We’ve always had that balance of being professional but also understanding we’re part-time and have lives outside rugby.

“The main change has been in how we train. It’s a lot more physical now – Tuesdays are full-on, shoulders on, and the boys really go at each other.

“There are no complaints, everyone’s bought into it and it’s raised standards.”

Flying high: Conor-Terrah Brockschmidt in action for Chinnor

Influence

That shift has been driven in large part by director of rugby Nick Easter, below, whose influence has sharpened the squad’s mindset since he joined the club in 2022.

“When Nick came in, he brought a different level of accountability,” Brockschmidt said.

“It’s about doing the basics right, giving your best for the club and pushing each other every week. That’s really driven what we’re doing now.”

Chinnor’s growing confidence has been underlined by eye-catching wins this term over established Champ sides such as Coventry and Worcester Warriors – results that have reinforced their belief.

“We lost the first four games and thought it might be another tough season,” he added. “But once we got into the swing of things and understood how we wanted to play, the results started coming.

“Beating those big teams gave us a real sense of belonging. We’ve always believed we belonged, but those wins proved it to ourselves.

“Now it’s not even about belief – it’s just about going out and doing it.”

Major weapon

A key component of that success has been a vastly improved set-piece, with Chinnor’s lineout becoming a major weapon.

“There’s been a lot of work that’s gone into it,” he said. “Nick loves the lineout and the physical side of the game, so we spend a lot of time analysing and getting our detail right.

“We’ve also brought in JC (Jamie Campbell), who’s taken on the lineout calling, and he’s been outstanding.

“There’s a lot of pressure on that role, but he’s handled it brilliantly.

“We do a lot of live work against each other in training, so when it comes to games, everyone’s confident in what they’re doing.”

With the season entering its final stretch, Chinnor find themselves firmly in the mix for a top-six finish – a target that has been there from the outset.

Brockschmidt said: “The top six has always been the goal. We always want to aim as high as possible. It’s tight in that area of the table, so every game now is massive.

“We’ll take it game by game, but the focus is clear – we want to finish in that top six.”