Bournville Head Coach Matt Price cannot wait for the start of the National Two West campaign after completing a successful programme of pre-season matches.
Bourns beat Bromsgrove and Sheffield Tigers either side of a home defeat against a powerful Bridgend Ravens side and are now set for their opening league match against newly-promoted Devonport Services at Avery Fields on September 7.
Those matches allowed Bourns to introduce most of the 14 summer signings made and to bed-in some new combinations across the team.
“Pre-season has gone well. The boys turned up in good shape with the off-season programme we ran,” Price said.
“So, conditioning-wise, we already felt we were a little bit ahead of the game. The new boys have slotted in well and with new combinations and partnerships it’s pretty exciting.
“We had a good win against Bromsgrove which gave us the chance to get some of the new boys playing and wearing the shirt. It’s always good to win a local derby whether it’s a pre-season game or not.
“Then we played Bridgend the following day which was perfect timing for us with the way the game went.
“It highlighted a few options for us with the way we play and how we structure our game and that was highlighted in our win at Sheffield Tigers last Saturday.
“We were really clinical and efficient in our exit plays. Again, the new combinations started to work well and we played at a pace that we want to challenge teams at this season.
“So, all in all, pre-season has gone well. I’m just looking forward to the start of the league season now.”
Bournville Blues will be in action on Saturday August 31 when they entertain Birmingham & Solihull at Avery Fields in a pre-season match ahead of their historic first match in the RFU Leagues structure – a Counties Three Midlands West (South) game at Woodrush on September 6.
“We finish off our preparations with Birmingham & Solihull Bees on Saturday which will be another chance to put some combinations together and go and have another good pre-season game,” Price said.
Back-row forward Chris Idehen has been cleared to play having recovered from the concussion sustained in training which ruled him out of the three pre-season matches.
But prop Clarkson McLeod is sidelined having been concussed against Bridgend and wing Dan Rundle with a slight calf muscle tear which he sustained having scored two tries in the same match.
Wing Will Aylen is a longer-term casualty having undergone surgery on an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury which he suffered playing on the summer sevens circuit.
