Plans for Canterbury Rugby Club's Olly Frostick to have a weekend off didn’t last long.

The prop, who joined in the summer of 2024, was only meant to have a watching brief for last Saturday’s National League 2 East fixture against strugglers Westcombe Park while he nurses an injury.

But with centre Harry Sloan pulling out in the warm-up, one-time Scotland under-20 international Frostick ended up being named as a replacement in a 46-33 victory at Merton Lane.

“He actually needs a rest,” said head coach Matt Corker.

“He’s had a bit of a poorly shoulder. He said before the game ‘This is the first time that I’ve watched the first team play’.

“That didn’t last very long for him!”

Sloan’s blow was a sign of things to come as Australian full-back Kurt Heatherley also sustained a serious-looking injury.

Corker said: “The whole game was a real test of our squad.

“Losing Harry, that’s not ideal, but I thought the boys did really well after that. We managed to pull Olly Frostick out of the crowd.

“We also lost Lewis Hollidge relatively early. Kurt came off, as well, but we showed the ability to adapt on the run.

“We only have five on the bench so you need to solve those problems.”

It’s why Corker and his coaching staff have always been keen on ensuring their players are as versatile as they can be.

“I absolutely believe every player has got to be able to have at least two positions that they can play,” said Corker.

“Many of our players can play more than that. Ryley Thomas, our No.7, has played No.12 for us this year. It’s about putting the best team on the pitch every week.

“Also, I believe the players really benefit from these experiences.”

Corker also revealed fly-half Frank Reynolds has had a setback with his recovery from concussion while fly-half/full-back Owain Collins (broken thumb) is another on the sidelines.

Nevertheless, Canterbury emerged victorious. Garry Jones (2), Jesse De Vries, Lewis Hollidge, Tyler Oliver and Lucas Eule dotted down, with Olly Ashley-Jones on kicking duties.

Corker reflected: “Every single week, we’re expecting an arm wrestle.

“Westcombe Park, although they’re nearer the other end of the table, they’re still very capable. A real positive was our attack.

“The real change from the Barnes game was our ability to execute in the last 10 or 15 minutes. It meant that we were able to see the game out. But we still conceded more than 30 points.

“Our target for this weekend is to try and concede less than 30 points. That’s still high in rugby but, even with the two teams above us, they’re having similar experiences with the change in the maul laws.

“It seems to be the way things are going.”

For No.8 Oliver, it was a long overdue return for the city club after he had proven his fitness by playing for Canterbury Pilgrims the previous weekend.

“He got 80 minutes in on Saturday,” said Corker.

“It was really good to have him back. When you’ve been out for a little while, it takes a couple of weeks to get back to your best.

“There should be more to come from Tyler, which will be nice to see.”

Next up is this Saturday’s trip to London Welsh. They are a club that ex-lock Corker, a former club captain, knows well.

The 43-year-old revealed it’s a fixture which has been pencilled in the diary for a fair while, having been edged out 22-21 by them last campaign.

Corker said: “This one has been ringed in the calendar for a little while.

“We had two quite poor away games where we didn’t turn up last year. London Welsh was one of those.

“For us to show we’re taking steps forward, we need to go there and win. It’s a very historic club. I spent a lot of time there.

“You cannot go from good performance, bad performance, good performance, bad performance, otherwise you’ll find yourself sliding down the league table.

"We need to back up a good win.”