Will Croker said Bournemouth’s Guinness Rugby Club Of The Year nomination is testament to the hard work by everyone involved.
The rampant Fortitudo backed Lions have been richly rewarded with a final place in the national awards after storming to South West Premier promotion.
But it was not just the first team who made the headlines this last season, with the Director Of Rugby pointing out how much of a team effort it has been.
He said: “Everyone at the rugby club is delighted with the nomination and it is a big accolade in sport - certainly in rugby for sure - for anyone to have been nominated for quite such a thing.
“It is an absolute delight and testament to what everyone has done - I think it goes to show that when you have had a season like we had last season.
“To have won the league by 27 points and to have had it wrapped up with over five games to go, plus the Second team winning their league as well as the two cup wins just goes to show what a halcyon season it was and how rarely these come about.”
The Chapel Gate men are up against five other clubs in Belsize Park, Crawley, Exeter Athletic, Medway and Pinley with the winner announced at Twickenham on Thursday, August 29.
That is three days before Croker’s men take on Old Elthamians in their fourth and final pre-season warm-up game for their National Two South campaign.
Croker and his coaches know they may not see another campaign like they did this last season, but until the winner is announced, he says for now it is just business as normal.
Croker added: “From the coaching team’s perspective, it is something which we will always look back on with enormous fondness and with no little pride.
“But as they say awards are there to gather dust all of the time you are still involved.
“I’m sure when we’re all finished coaching or playing then we’ll look back on this past season and say ‘do you remember the season when we won team of the year?’
“Or we’ll say ‘do you remember the season when we were nominated for the Guinness Rugby Club of the year?’ and I’m sure we’ll all look back and be incredibly happy with what we have achieved.
“But for now it is just a case of getting on with the next job in hand and that is making sure we are ready come Taunton on September 7 or we are ready once the Zoo League gets going again.”