High hopes for HRFC ahead of their Twickenham debut on Sunday

There is a tangible excitement brewing in the town, as Honiton Rugby Football Club gears up for Sunday's RFU Senior Vase Final match against Northallerton at Twickenham.

This phenomenal feat was secured after beating Portsmouth in the semi-final in Hampshire on Easter Saturday.

It is the first time that this has been achieved in the club's history and a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of the players.

As secretary for the club, Jeremy Rice, said: "It's a fantastic opportunity for grass roots players, to have the honour of a small club like this playing at Twickenham."

When asked what has made this season so special for the 'Ton' boys, Rice said: "It's a culmination of coach, Nathan Hannay, who used to be here as a junior coming back from playing semi-professional rugby, along with assistant coach, Alex Brooks, who's a fly half, bringing their expertise to the pitch.

"Something that we're really proud of, is that out of the squad that's going to be playing at Twickenham, 18 have come up from the junior team.

"With this, we've managed to achieve all three objectives the club set out for this season; which was to get to this final, be promoted and to win the Devon Cup."

So, what are the chances of Honiton bringing home the trophy on Sunday? According to Rice: "The HRFC strengths are that they're incredibly well organised, well drilled and play a system that works exceedingly well. We also have some very naturally talented players."

Having sussed out the opposing team, Rice is confident that their winning team formula is enough to put them in good stead for Sunday's debut performance on 'the field of dreams'.

They certainly have the support of the town behind them; with eight bus loads of 50 supporters, along with two mini-buses, several going by train and lots driving up to show support for the team.

Let's hope it does the trick. Up The Ton.