John Brodley only realised how much he had missed rugby when he stepped back on to the training pitch for the first time as Oxford’s new head coach.

The former Oxfordshire, Bicester, Banbury, Chinnor and Oxford Harlequins coach had spent 18 months out of the game.

But a chance encounter at Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis Club, which is next to the rugby club’s facilities at North Hinksey, where he had been coaching led to a meeting with chairman David Bagnall.

And on October 10, Brodley, who had previously been involved in rugby for 26 years, took charge of Oxford’s BB&O Championship fixture against Farnham Royal.

The 61-year-old admitted there was nothing quite like being back in the thick of it.

He said: “It was good to take a break, but once I got on that training pitch I realised what I had missed.

“The bunch of guys we have got are good fun and incredibly enthusiastic.

“Their willingness to try is second to none and it’s great as a coach – it is all you can ask for.”

Oxford, who were founded in 1909, played their first competitive fixture in four years when they began their championship campaign against Littlemore on September 12.

And with the City of Oxford Rugby Partnership, which tabled plans for a merger between the club and Harlequins in 2011, officially ending this year, Oxford have begun a new chapter in their long history.

Brodley is now looking to build upon the nucleus of 20 players and develop the club, including the introduction of a second XV in January.

He said: “We have a triple strategy for increasing the number of senior players.

“We want to develop from within the players who are already registered and the young players coming out of schools and colts rugby.

“We also want to raise the profile of the club so we can recruit new players as they move into the city.”

Brodley added: “For me the attraction of Oxford is not that it is a short-term return to rugby, but an exciting long-term challenge to build a club and provide a legacy for the city and the county.”

l LITTLEMORE will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the opening of their clubhouse at Saturday’s BB&O Championship game at home to Farnham Royal.

The bar will be open from midday, with a buffet served at 1pm, ahead of further celebrations after the match, which kicks off at 2.30.