SWINDON were shown the level of rugby they want to emulate next season as they were put to the sword by local rivals Chippenham.

The runaway league leaders, who have only lost twice all campaign, battled the elements well to complete a 40-8 victory over the Greenbridge Road outfit.

The boot of Chippenham fly half Dom Ricco inflicted a large portion of the damage as he landed all eight of his kicks to amass 20 points to set the hosts on their way to victory.

A Tom Mannion try before the break, with Chippenham’s John Turner in the sin-bin, looked to get Swindon back in the contest but three tries without response in the second half put the game to bed.

“I think Chippenham showed why they were top of the league at the weekend,” said Swindon skipper Adam Westall.

“They were far more clinical than we were in probably every facet of the game.

“We started pretty slow and they got off to a pretty good start and I think they were 19-5 up by the halfway mark.

“Tom got over in the first half, a nice try.

“To be fair, that was probably our best passage of play. We scored that just before half-time and it gave us a bit of a boost turning around with the wind but we just couldn’t hold onto the ball enough.

“We still felt we could turn it around with the wind and play a bit but I genuinely believe that fitness told in the second half.

“They were much mobile than we were in the second half and they put us to the sword.”

Swindon, who have two games of the regular season remaining, slipped down a place to fifth in the South West One East division as a result of the defeat.

Westall added: “That is a side that are at the top of their game and are probably training very well together and are looking to return swiftly back to the National Three South division.

“We know what we need to shoot at in terms of a target now but we are a little bit away from that at the moment.”