WHILST Swindon Town take to the field at football’s spiritual home on Saturday, three Swindon rugby players will get the opportunity to run out at rugby’s spiritual equivalent, Twickenham, as they turn out for Dorset & Wilts against Leicestershire on Sunday.

The trio - Adam Westall, Tom Mannion and Ben Saville - will represent the counties in the County Championship plate final after they sealed their place with a 38-10 win over Oxfordshire.

All three were integral members of the Swindon side which enjoyed a phenomenal second half to their Southern Counties North season, and the Greenbridge Road coach, Neil Loader, is delighted they have the chance to experience a day out at Twickenham.

“I was speaking to one of the guys’ fathers the other day and he said that it is just like seeing his child in the build-up to Christmas,” he said.

“I wouldn’t like to think that it is just a once in a lifetime opportunity, but they have to get involved in it.”

Loader, who is part of the Dorset & Wilts coaching setup, hopes to be allowed down on the touchline to support the team at Twickenham.

But wherever his viewpoint is, and whatever the result, the former Rugby Parma boss is ecstatic with a showpiece finale to a sensational campaign.

“Everything I’ve touched this year seems to have turned to gold,” he said.

“I was chatting to Tom Mannion this week, and he has been the Swindon player of the season and got into the county team, and we were just saying how we don’t want this year to end.

“But we have to remember that the new season starts this year as well, so we’re hoping when it comes around to it that we can pick up from where we left off.”

Dorset & Wilts are looking to protect an unbeaten record as they open a day’s rugby which includes the main County Championship final involving Gloucestershire and the Barbarians game against England.

Having won all their pool matches and their semi-final, Loader knows preserving the winning run will be tricky against tough opponents.

“Leicestershire beat Oxfordshire by a similar to score to us in the pool stages of the competition, so we know it’s going to be difficult,” he said.

“But we have the players and if we get it right it would be the perfect way to end the season.”