The start of pre-season is always an exciting time and this year, even more so. The RFU have introduced playoffs at both the top and bottom of the league, promising to intensify interest in results throughout the campaign.

This season, the Dons begins from a far more stable base. The vast majority of the senior squad are returning, and several exciting new players have joined our ranks. The coaching team has a familiar feel too. Steve Hill continues to head up the group as Director of Rugby, with Leon Driscoll stepping in as attack coach following Craig Willis’ move to play for Agen in France.

The opportunity to build on last season’s foundations provides the ideal springboard for the months ahead. The entire squad has been under the guidance of conditioning coach Tom Bracegirdle for the past six weeks, ensuring they are physically primed to begin on-field pre-season training. In the engine room behind the scenes, James "Bully" Ogilvie-Bull and Marc Bertrand continue to keep the wheels turning and alongside them are the Medical team headed up by Lucy Metcalfe and Luke Bowen.

To ensure match fitness across the squad, warm-up matches at the end of August against strong, higher-league opposition Barnes RFC and Sevenoaks RFC are locked in. The season proper kicks off on September 6th with a tough opener against last year’s runners-up, Jersey RFC.

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