By David Hibell
July 20 2004

Last season we weren't even sure there would be 15 players representing Bristol and those that did didn't have a proper preseason. This season brings extra pressure from the supporters as they will look for an improvement in results and league position from last term. But will they get it? Jim Brownrigg, one of six players returning to the Memorial Ground club, said in a recent interview that a top three placing is certainly realistic.

Darren Crompton, another returnee, is the final part of the jigsaw completing the squad, pre-season training has begun in earnest & the school holidays only began yesterday!

The remaining players from last years squad are a year older than last season. An obviouspoint, but one that is worth making, they have now played home and away against all the teams in the Division save for the newly promoted teams and Rotherham, who won the league last time they were in it.

Several of them had exams to worry about last year which affected playing time, and a few had seasons interrupted by injury, Jason Hobson, Mike Griffith and Adam Billig being the most obvious examples.

The new players have experience at various levels and in my opinion, the team appears on paper to be stronger than last year. Key areas have been strengthened, and whereas last year the team pretty much picked itself, with one or two exceptions, this season sees Richard Hill with several tricky selection problems of the good kind with competition for places in many of the key areas. Who will be the starting hlaf backs, wings, centres, back row, second row?

Several people have posted their guesses on the message board, but until we have seen the friendlies, starting in a little under a months time, we are all second guessing Richard Hill's plans.

The friendlies will give the new players get the chance to get some match time with their new colleagues to bed in properly and hopefully everyone will get to blow the cobwebs out of their system.

There is no question that the backs remain a very pacy outfit, but this season should see added guile, and the beefing up of the pack will hopefully provide them with a better platform to work on to give us good old fashioned Bristol style running rugby.