Head coach Matt Corker is proud of the progress Canterbury Rugby Club have made this season - but insists there’s more to come from them.

Already guaranteed to finish fourth in National League 2 East, they ended their campaign with an 18th league victory as they won 50-33 at relegated Colchester last weekend.

It comes after Canterbury had claimed a seventh-placed finish in the 2023/24 season and continues a largely upward trend since Corker replaced Andy Pratt at the helm in the summer of 2020.

He said: “This is the time where you get the opportunity to zoom out and look at the season as a whole. I’m very proud of the lads and I hope they’re proud of themselves, as well.

“This time last year we were looking up at fourth place, longingly. To make the progress that we wanted, that’s not been easy to do.

“Hard work makes the difference because rugby is a very honest game. There were periods where we have had to wrestle back momentum.

"But to finish with 18 league wins this season, that’s something we’re very proud of because it was only in the 2022/23 season where we had about a 30 per cent win ratio.”

Further gears will need to be found, however, if Canterbury are to challenge at the very top next time around.

But that’s something Corker reckons his squad are capable of doing.

He revealed: “We had our review session, where we sat down and had a few pizzas, on Tuesday. We know there’s so much more to come.

“For us to get better every week and every season, we need to be competing at the top-end of the table. There’s games - against good teams, don’t get me wrong - we’re still disappointed about.

“But if you look at [champions] Tonbridge, they have only lost four games this season.

“That shows you cannot really afford to have too many off-days.”

Corker conceded Canterbury’s trip to Colchester was a dead rubber, with influential fly-half Frank Reynolds - the division’s top points scorer for a second successive season - coming off with an injury.

Winger Garry Jones and the retiring prop forward Danny Herriott also found themselves sin-binned.

But Canterbury still got the job done as they finished the season the way they had started it - with victory over the Essex side.

“Saturday was a challenge for us,” reflected Corker. “The Dorking game was really emotional and the players put in a great performance.

“Ultimately, the game against Colchester was a dead rubber.

“We couldn’t change our league position, but we really wanted to make sure we finished strongly and to go into the break happy with our performance.

"I think we would be the first to admit it wasn’t the 80-minute performance we were looking for, but we got the job done.

“The fact they scored 30-odd points showed we weren’t exactly where we wanted to be.

“This year, we have dealt with pressure really well - but we lost a bit of composure and that led to the two yellow cards.

“Quite a few players were carrying knocks, as well, and Frank Reynolds came off injured.

“But we still got 50 points away from home, which is excellent.”

Hooker Eoin O’Donoghue led the way with half of the city club’s eight touchdowns while Jones, versatile forward Henry Kenny, Tom Williams and prop Cameron Macmillan also crossed the whitewash.

Corker said: “Eoin has been exceptional. We’re very lucky to have him.

“We have got some very able players. His journey to the club was interesting where we took him because he was a very short hooker.

“He has worked very hard in the gym and with Nathan Morris, who has played at a very high level.

“It’s great to see him play a big part in our season.”