Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club head coach Nick Wakley 'really pleased' with team's progress during 2019/20 campaign

With the RFU’s calculations to conclude the 2019/20 season keeping Bury St Edmunds in sixth place for a club-record finish, head coach Nick Wakley has declared himself 'really pleased' with their progress.

The Wolfpack’s head coach did think they could have improved on that position in National League Two South, having had six games to go before the coronavirus outbreak halted the campaign. They had been five points off fifth-placed Clifton with a game in hand.

But Wakley is happy to accept the positives from a campaign which saw them eclipse their previous best finish of seventh in their debut season in the fourth tier in 2015/16. The final table calculation of 97.50 points also saw them smash through their previous highest points total of 77 in 2017/18’s eighth-place finish.

“I have no doubt in my mind that this side has improved,” he said.

“They have played some great games and scored some great tries. Ok, they have had some blips but it is hard to eradicate that when you are dealing with semi-professional players. In general I am really happy with how the side are developing.

“It did take a bit longer than I wanted to but there is clear information in there of games won in the league compared to last year and how many youngsters we have blooded as well as setting up an elite development pathway in the club to get academy talent coming through here.

“Everything is positive we just need to get past these bumpy times and get the wheels back on.”

It comes after the RFU announced at the end of last week they would be working out final league positions for all but the Gallagher Premiership through ‘a best playing record formula’ and keeping promotion and relegation.

In National League Two South it left Taunton Titans (122.02) and Tonbridge Juddians (117.02) as the two promoted teams with Sutton & Epsom (31.89), Old Redcliffians (31.38) and Bournemouth (22.12) as the three relegated teams.

In London 2 North East, the final calculated table saw Diss leapfrog Stowmarket (6th, 63.40 points) to finish in fifth with 65.48 points.