League leaders West Norfolk head to Fakenham

A summer reset has worked wonders for West Norfolk Rugby Club heading into 2025.Both the men’s and women’s teams sit top of their respective leagues in what is the club’s centenary season.The men head into tomorrow’s Counties 2 Eastern Counties at Fakenham with a 10-point lead at the summit and the team remain determined to bounce back from last season’s relegation at the first attempt.West Norfolk coach Jamie Williamson explained: “Last season was hard on everyone concerned.”We played over 55 players in the first team last season and it was something that we needed to learn lessons from, but then overcome as well.”We had a reset in the summer. We sat down, we had a good chat, I laid out my plans for the season and it was a case of changing several things and trying to bring new blood into the team.”I couldn’t be happier with the way that the guys responded. They picked themselves up from last season and put it behind us. “We’ve come up with a new game plan with some good, attractive flowing rugby and some hard work as well. “I mean we must be the fittest team in the league and that’s because we work on it every week.”We had a structured game plan and the boys, as I say, have bought into everything that we’ve implemented, fitness being one of them.”In this league, it shows. In the last 10-15 minutes of games, whether you’re having to put that extra effort into attack or whether you’re defending like your life depends on it, the fitness shows. “Credit to the boys for buying into it, but credit to the coaches as well for putting those things into place.”The club’s sights remain firmly on winning the league. “We may have a couple of bad days in the office, like the one we had at Woodbridge, because there’s always stuff to work on,” said Williamson.”It’s just showing that we want it and one of the things that we were missing last season was just a bit of heart sometimes and I just want to see it week-in and week-out where the boys just want to play for the club and want to play for the shirt. Williamson says he is loving life as a coach at Gatehouse Lane but is always ready to step onto the pitch on the playing side, if required.”It has taken a real adjustment on my part to adjust to the coaching of things,” he said.”After being a senior player for a long time and then going to be a coach and you know, it’s something that I’m working with myself.“I’ve never been a coach before and I’m keen to work on those elements of my game, but also I do miss being out in the park. “I’m torn but if I can get a game in every two or three weeks and have a bit of time to recover I’m happy.”