WESTCLIFF face another of their high-flying rivals when they head to third-placed Guildford in the London & SE Premier Division tomorrow.

Second-placed Westcliff were beaten 24-5 by league leaders Wimbledon last time out.

But Westcliff centre Rob Smith knows the team will be determined to bounce back in another tricky test this weekend.

“We lost twice to Guildford last season so we are fully aware we can’t be complacent,” said Smith.

“They are a very well structured team and if they are able to implement their game plan they become a very difficult side to beat.

“But the boys will be raring to go and make up for the two poor performances against them last year.”

Westcliff also head into the game with five wins from their six games so far but the positive start has not surprised Smith.

“The start to the season has been very pleasing but something I don’t feel too surprised about,” said Smith.

“We have been building a strong squad to compete at this level for three or four years now and tight games we might have lost a few seasons ago we are now winning.

“That has come from the development and maturity of every single player.”

But, despite that, Westcliff were unable to match Wimbledon last time out.

And Smith felt the visitors were worthy winners at the Gables.

“The Wimbledon game was a tough, physical frustrating one for us,” said Smith.

“They played the conditions better than we did and the better team on the day won but we took a lot of positives out of the game and as a squad we have learnt from the mistakes we made.”

And Smith also feels Westcliff benefitted from a break in their schedule which saw them without a match last weekend.

“The first six weeks have been very intense to ensure we got the best possible start to the season so having the week off has been very much needed,” said Smith.

“People forget we are all amateur players and this is just a hobby for us all so having a rest week to switch off from rugby always helps the mind and the body.”

But Smith is still determined to build on the good start.

“We want to enjoy playing for Westcliff and as a club we want to improve on our sixth place finish from last season,” he added.