JAMES Gaiger and Dan Masters have promised to do an impression of the Righteous Brothers at Devizes Rugby Club's annual dinner tomorrow, but come Sunday, they'll definitely have lost that loving feeling.

The Saddleback teammates will line up against each other in the England RFU's County Plate competition, Gaiger at blind side flanker for Dorset and Wilts, and Masters propping for his native Somerset, in a west country clash which is a last chance saloon for both team's chances of gracing the turf at Twickenham.

The national county championship has been restructured this season into three levels, the plate, shield and top flight championship.

The final of each will be contested on the hallowed turf at the home of English rugby, and going into the final round robin matches this weekend, both Dorset and Wilts and Somerset have a chance of making the semi-finals of the plate.

Placed in one of three plate pools with Surrey and Hampshire, Gaiger and Masters will be striving to have their county take the best runners up position, and so make the last four. After drawing a complete blank in last season's campaign, Dorset and Wilts started this representative season with an encouraging 38-31 win over Hampshire in Southampton.

Against stronger opposition from Surrey last Saturday, they went down 28-22 at Bournemouth.

Masters, who has started both games for Somerset, was part of a 32-18 loss to Surrey in the first round, but they thumped Hampshire 42-22 last week to make Saturday's clash at Bridgewater such a crucial one.

The twin counties will have even more of a Wiltshire flavour on the weekend with Wootton Bassett prop Robbie Smith drafted into the squad to cover for injuries in the engine room, including concussion to Swanage and Wareham's Robert Elford.

After helping Chippenham secure promotion to South West One, scrum-half Andy Williamson and winger Dave Martin are also available for selection, and John Angel is likely to come off the bench.

Chippenham head coach Rob Alford said he was somewhat bemused that, after having beaten all other Dorset and Wilts opposition in South West Two both home and away this season, the north Wiltshire side still only had two players involved when they became available for selection before the Surrey game.

A rift has existed in the past between Dorset and Wilts and Chippenham, but twin counties manager Martin Hill, said the low representation in the side has more to do with the players themselves. "We have had a few issues with Chippenham in seasons gone, but this season they have supported us totally, from youth all the way up to seniors,'' he said.

"The players have to express an interest to play in the senior side, and I think the fact they haven't put themselves forward in past years may be one reason why perhaps there aren't so many there this year. Now that they are in South West One I would hope they might support the county side much more next season. It would certainly benefit us. Players with experience at that level come back much improved skill wise and also much harder."

Hill was also gushing in his praise for Gaiger, who has found a new lease of life this season after being unburdened of the captaincy at Devizes by fellow back rower Tom Reed. "James (Gaiger) has been one of our best in the first two games and will definitely be starting on Saturday,'' he said.

"He has given 100 per cent throughout the whole campaign, whether at training or in the games, and we know we can always rely on him."

On field success has been a stranger to Dorset and Wilts in recent seasons, but Hill said the atmosphere within the camp and the group of players is the best the coaching staff, which includes Devizes mentor Dave O'Sullivan, have been able to develop for some time.

With the restructure, playing at Twickenham is now a more realistic goal for those in the junior counties, but it will be tough for the away team on Saturday, who also draw players from South West Two clubs Salisbury, Oakmedians, Swanage and Wareham and Wimborne

Somerset will have a sprinkling of Bridgewater and Albion players, who went up from South West One this season and scored more than 1,000 points in the process.