SCHIZOPHRENIA is not a common rugby condition, but Devizes have shown all the traits so far this season.

After losing their first six games of the Southern Counties South season, opening with a 5-3 loss to pacesetters Wootton Bassett, the Saddlebacks have strung together six victories, completed with a walkover against Minety on December 18.

Devizes first team coach Dave O'Sullivan together with club coaching coordinator Gareth Jones are certainly much happier now than they were at the end of October, and want more of the same in 2005.

"It gets tougher from here," O'Sullivan said

"Our run has been satisfying, but it has been against all the teams placed in the lower half of the table.

"We have to go to Dorchester, and then face Frome at home, and then head all the way down to Bournemouth, which will be a tough trip.

"We have to keep it going against teams above us, and it won't be easy, but there's no reason we can't beat them as well."

While he is the first to admit the club is short on a touch of class outside number nine, O'Sullivan sees the Saddleback's all conquering forward pack doing the business against the top sides.

"We have as good a set of forwards as anyone in the comp, I've said that all year and I firmly believe it.

"Eventually I would like to play a more expansive game at Devizes, but at the moment we have to play a quite forward oriented game.

"No disrespect to the guys we do have out in the backs, they have been doing a good job in recent weeks, but we will play to our strengths and I make no excuses for that."

In the forwards prop Dan Masters has led the way, performing in open play like an extra back rower to assist skipper Tom Reed and consistent number eight James Gaiger.

Masters also leads the club's try scoring, with stalwart winger Andy Webb, and hooker Chris Billi has been the mainstay in improving set piece play.

Devizes will benefit in the New Year from the return of full back James Pople and utility back Matt Monckton, both having been sidelined with injury for the last month.

Pople's kicking in general play was a key to the wins against Dorchester and Trowbridge, while Monckton's ability to fill in at half back, in the centres or on the wing will give selectors some more leeway with an otherwise quite senior backline.

"James (Pople) has really found his nich at full back. We tried him at 10 and in the centres, but he looks very comfortable at the back," said O'Sullivan.

The mood in the club is a very positive one at present, you wouldn't expect anything else after six league wins on the trot, but the first team mentor has seen many ebbs and flows in his coaching career and is philosophical about promotion.

"We are definitely aiming for top four, but realistically we're not ready for promotion."

The widely held view is that after the league restructure at the start of this season the standard in Southern Counties South has dropped, with the better players choosing to head to clubs like Chippenham and Salisbury who are a level above in South West Two East.

"The gulf between the two leagues has certainly widened after the restructure," O'Sullivan said.

"You just have to look at Ivel Barbarians who went up last year. They were quite dominant in our league, but they've lost ten and drawn one at the higher level.

"To breach that gap you really need a squad of 20-25 players of a similar high standard you can choose from for your first team and your best side might be able to compete."

According to O'Sullivan, Chippenham gained the jump on many Wiltshire counterparts in junior development, and that is one of the main reasons they are now vying for promotion to South West One.

"They have had that regular impetus of juniors coming through their club and so have had greater success.

"That in turn attracts better players, as well as some from Devizes.

"Devizes need to attract the best players from Devizes, but we need to provide the right level of rugby."

"Realistically our league is the right one for us at the moment, but if promotion is an end, then we have to approach it with something like a five-year plan."

"It is definitely possible, but we need that feeding in of young players to sustain the club at the higher level."

Passing that realistic projection on to the players is easier said than done. There's no doubt if they do get a sniff of promotion in the New Year, illustrating the bigger picture to the first team could be potentially fatal.

"Of course we'll be aiming to finish as high as possible, there's no point in playing if you don't try and do your best each week.

"I've certainly had that from my players this season, and with the closeness of the competition, who knows what might happen."

First team captain and open side flanker Tom Reed is in his second season at the club, and said the level of confidence is indeed high at present.

"We need to pick up where we left off before Christmas, unfortunately the break has been quite long, but hopefully we'll be able to crack another win against Dorchester on Saturday.

"We've a few players back from injury, so potentially we should be able to improve on our last game at Tadley, which was an excellent win for us and probably the best attacking rugby we have played for two seasons.

"If we can keep that going in 2005 we're a real chance of knocking off a few of the top sides, but we must keep the commitment up.

"A few more at training would certainly be nice," he said.