This pre-season has been a good one so far, and the lads are tracking well against our KPIs. Following the relegation playoffs last season, we had a relatively short off-season, but the squad came into the first block of pre-season in great shape. Our aerobic baseline as a squad average was one of the best I’ve seen in my four years here, giving us a very strong starting point.

As we head into this final block of pre-season, our approach changes. The tough Saturday morning gym sessions and big on-field conditioning blocks are mostly behind us. Now, we want to really sharpen the tools and get match-ready.

Our main S&C goal now is to bridge that gym strength into on-field speed. All the heavy lifting we did earlier in pre-season was designed to build physical armour; now, we want to convert that strength into explosive, game-speed power. With that, the gym programming will shift toward more strength-speed work as we head into fixtures.

On the pitch, the conditioning changes as well. The running with me will now mimic the rhythm of a match: short, sharp bursts of maximum effort followed by short recoveries. We are really looking for that ability to work hard, recover as best we can, and go again - repeated high-intensity efforts.

Heading into this weekend's game against Swansea, I am simply looking to see the boys hit the match with full commitment. Nothing quite compares to that first game, so I want to see how they react to that first full-blooded tackle, that first max acceleration to a ruck, and that first kick chase. How do the lads recover between efforts? How are they getting up off the floor, working around the corner, and getting back on side?

Ultimately, the main thing for me in a pre-season fixture is seeing the lads exposed to all elements of a rugby match. I want to see them maintaining high skill levels and good efforts under fatigue and, most importantly, come off the pitch healthy.

Overall, it’s been a positive pre-season, though the weather has added a tricky element. The heat and hard ground have meant we've had to adjust sessions on the fly, but I think we've managed the training load well.

The first game back is always exciting, and we also have quite a few new lads that I'm looking forward to seeing play. They’ve settled into the group really well, and this weekend is an opportunity for them to put their hands up to be involved in our first game of the season against Ampthill.