Here we are yet again, after 12 weeks of solid pre - season training at the start of another season for our Rugby Club. The club officers, management, coaches and the players themselves have been working extremely hard throughout the summer months. Next Saturday will see our 1st XV playing their first fixture in the newly RFU designed League structure of Regional 2 Anglia with a difficult away trip to promoted Ipswich RFC and with our other three senior teams starting their own Essex Merit League campaigns next month, it’s a very exciting time for everyone involved!

After 10 years
as our Head Coach, last season saw Jamie Connors step down, this has allowed a new coaching team to form with ex Premiership player, Jesse Liston stepping up as our Head Coach & new recruit Michael Sargent joining us from Hertford RFC as our new Attack Coach. With Nick Horton also stepping down, front row stalwart George Cosma has taken the reigns as our new 1stXV skipper. Added to all this, I am delighted to announce that all our existing coaching & management team have remained in place; we have formed a very experienced & ambitious team of coaches to lead us into the new season ahead.

Pre - Season
Identifying last season that our overall fitness as a club was a major weakness, our aim was to push the squad harder through pre – season than ever before. Our S&C coach, Ryan Soloman set out a comprehensive summer fitness program, which with some help from a new installed weights room at the club saw a huge buy in from the players. As always, we complimented this new element with a very successful summer touch program & our tough boot camp/cross fitness sessions, ultimately this lead into our full pre-season training which began on 26th June. Our senior squad has trained twice per week, with our player’s progress carefully monitored with timed broncos, set runs & using an increased weights program. Even though last year was a very tough year for our club, I am pleased to report that our players have returned both rejuvenated, inspired & hungry for success. The level of participation and commitment to our pre-season has been outstanding with some sessions reaching well over 60 participants!

This seasons campaigns
Will be far tougher than the last; the new league structure allows for only one team to gain promotion, there are no play off’s. Our league is full of traditional Rugby Clubs with solid platforms to work from, we need to have more desire and more commitment than ever before if we are to do well in this seasons campaign. With this in mind, the standard of training has hit an impressive level; our ball in hand work is continually executed at a high level of intensity, however it is the training loads that has impressed the coaches the most. Our sessions have been planned to give the boys a tremendous fitness base and the ability to learn and execute at different levels of fatigue. This has shown in our early pre - season form with two very convincing wins against Regional 2 Thames clubs Cobham RFC (away) and at home to Battersea Ironside RFC.

New Players to The New Wilderness
We have worked hard in our off season recruitment program this year too and I believe we have signed players with the right aptitude, ability & character that will buy in to the core ethics of what our club values most highly and this has definitely shown in our pre-season training. We have added 12 new senior players to our ranks and with a plethora of players stepping up from last year’s very successful Colts side, this year’s squad is as strong as I have ever seen it. We welcome our new recruits, they are here to enhance our squad, they have given us the opportunity to develop our game strategies & try new combinations, and very pleasingly, all of them have easily slipped into becoming Manor Boys! We are excited by their skill levels, impressed by their attitudes, encouraged by their desire & hunger to do well, we look forward to working with them.

A Big Thank You
I would like to take this opportunity to give all our players a massive pat on the back. To train and play Rugby at the level we strive to achieve requires great sacrifice. Unlike some clubs, our players have to balance full time jobs with the expectations of playing level 6 Rugby. It's not just the 4 hours a week we train together, It's also the time in the gym, road running, giving up on a social life and time with their families, It's a very big ask at our level and yet our players keep their momentum, keep working hard at their game and keep wanting to play for Eton Manor Rugby Club.

I feel this year’s preparation has been as good as can be, our players have worked extremely hard in training and proven that they are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve success. Whatever unfolds this year rest assured that I, the coaches and the players will always be trying our upmost to gain success for not just themselves, but ultimately for our Rugby Club. So please, this year, get behind the boys, fill our newly built pitch side stand to the max to cheer our sides on! Let’s follow their inspired lead and make our Manor Rugby family stronger than ever!

We look forward to your continued support and I also look forward to catching up with you throughout the year ahead, you will generally find me near the bar areas after most games!

UTM
Mark Farrell
DoR - Eton Manor Rugby Club.