SOUTHEND Rugby Club are the early pace-setters in National Two South after hammering Hinckley 53-10 on Saturday.

The Seasiders ran home eight tries during the convincing triumph.

And, after they also beat Richmond 35-22 on the opening day of the season, they now top the table — much to the delight of head coach Andy Holloway.

“We’re pleased with the start we’ve made to the season and it’s certainly much different to how we got underway last year,” said Holloway.

“We lost our first game and drew the second which was frustrating, but we’ve carried on the good work from the end of last year and it’s been very encouraging indeed.”

Southend won 11 of their final 13 matches last season.

But Holloway is refusing to get carried away about his side’s chances for the remainder of the campaign.

“We’re two games in to the season and the league table doesn’t really mean anything just yet,” he said.

“This is a very hard league with a lot of good sides and our aim is to improve on how we did last year and then see where that takes us.”

Southend finished fourth in the standings last season.

And their promotion aspirations will face a stern test this Saturday when they host Ealing at Warners Bridge.

The West London side took third in National Two South last term and have also won both of their matches this time around, making them tough opponents at the weekend.

“Playing against Ealing will be two or three times tougher than our previous two matches,” said Holloway.

“We will have to step up again and we will learn an awful lot more about ourselves and where we stand right now by how we get on in this game.”

FULL STORY IN TUESDAY'S ECHO