Saxons Ready For The Challenge Ahead

With pre-season complete and the opening league weekend finally upon us, there is a real sense of excitement and anticipation around the Southend Rugby Club senior playing group.

The summer has brought plenty of change. We have said goodbye to some experienced players who have contributed enormously to the group, but in their place we have welcomed a number of exciting new faces.

Some arrive with valuable experience from higher levels of the game, while others represent something equally important to us — talented young players who have progressed through our own junior and academy pathway and are now ready to take their opportunities in senior rugby.

With so many new faces coming together, one of the biggest challenges throughout pre-season was always going to be how quickly we could bond as a group.

In that respect, the extended pre-season has actually worked in our favour. It has given the players more time together, both on and off the pitch, and the response has been fantastic.

Throughout the summer, the group has continually pushed and challenged one another. There has been a real desire to improve, compete and strive for excellence, with standards being driven by the players themselves as much as by the coaching team.

Now, on the eve of the first league weekend for both the Saxons and Priors, you can feel the excitement levels rising.

Pre-season is done. Now the real challenge begins.

There is plenty of potential within this group, but potential alone means very little. What has been particularly encouraging is seeing the belief, trust and understanding between the players continuing to grow.

We also know that no season is straightforward.

There will be difficult Saturdays. There will be moments when things don’t go our way and occasions when this group will have to go to the well for one another, dig deep and show exactly what it stands for.

From everything we have seen throughout pre-season, there is every reason to believe that this is a group that will keep fighting, keep working and keep pushing for each other.

As we head into the new campaign, the focus isn’t on making big predictions or looking too far ahead. It is much simpler than that.

Be better each week.

Keep learning. Keep challenging each other. Keep raising our standards and take something from every performance — whether that comes from a win or a loss.

There is a long season ahead and plenty of rugby still to be played, but there is a genuine sense of excitement about what this group could achieve together.

Now it’s time to get started.

One Club. One Direction.