The Medical Team and Strength and Conditioning Team have been busy recently planning for next season and aiming to get the squad in the best possible shape for June.

This does not mean we have taken our eye off the ball for the last two games but planning is vital to keep the squad going forward. The Premiership is always extremely competitive and with a strong Northampton side coming up it will be even more so next year.

Dwight D.Eisenhower once said:

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable”, and we are planning at the moment to get our squad ready for the next battle.

At this time of year there are always players needing elective surgery, that is surgery that is planned. These include Tom Arscott (ankle), Mark Irish (shoulder) and Joe El-Abd (ankle). 

By making decisions on the timing of the surgery we can try to ensure that the player is back fit at a time to suit the player, the club and sometimes their country.

Although most of the boys will get a break in the summer, a small group will stay behind to rehabilitate these injuries. It is a good time for some quality one on one time with the players and great improvements can be seen during this time.

As well managing the elective surgeries we are also screening the whole squad to make sure that during the off-season they can work on any weakness that may predispose them to injury.

All the players will be encouraged to have some time away from the game but will also be given an individual transitional programme to follow before they return to pre-season training in June. We hope that all this planning will lead to a fully fit squad working towards success in the Premiership next season.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Medical Team for their hard work this season, and to all the players that returned to fitness through effort and application. We also wish all the players leaving the club all the best in whatever they do in the future.

Richard Mack