The Banbridge training fixture was a great opportunity to test ourselves against one of the top clubs in Ulster in a controlled hit out and I’d like to thank Mark McDowell, and his Banbridge team for making the trip over to us.

I think the biggest lesson our players took from the game was the increased intensity and accuracy on show from the AIL 1B side. This is something we need to aspire to as we aim to develop as a side. That said, I was pleased with our display and we can take a lot from our performance.

I was happy that we saw elements of what we have been working on over pre-season in our play, especially as we grew in confidence as the game went on, but there is still a lot more work to do as we build towards the season, and consistency has been the message this week in training.

Around 35 players got an opportunity to play last week, and I was especially pleased with the performance of our group of U20s who integrated seamlessly in to senior rugby, including an outstanding length of the field score from Shay Storey.

We face a different but equally difficult challenge this week as we host Newtownards and Donaghadee as part of our Rugby Day at Upritchard Park. We are expecting both games to be fiercely competitive local derbies, against two great local clubs, and I am sure we will all enjoy a beer together after as we watch Ireland take on England in their RWC warm up fixture. For those of you who haven’t met me yet - I’ll be the bloke shouting for England in a thick Yorkshire accent!