Following the most successful season in recent third team history, it was a surprise and an honour to be asked to captain the side for the forthcoming season. The third team at Novos has traditionally been the team that introduces the younger players into the senior game with a number of more senior players alongside them to assist and advise them and this season that is reflected in our new name â€“ The Development Team.
This season will be no different and I expect our team to â€˜blood a few more youngstersâ€™ and assist them on their development as players, but last season marked a change in emphasis for me. The â€˜thirdsâ€™ developed as a team in their own right under Paulâ€™s leadership, to a point where with a few games left to play we were serious contenders for promotion. This has got to be the benchmark for the forthcoming season, we were a strong group of individual players at the beginning of last season but we start this season as a strong team and as such must set our goals a little higher and push ourselves to achieve this.
I expect to see a number of new faces at the beginning of the season with the usual influx of students joining us. The students (and any new player) will be a welcome addition to the team and we look forward to meeting them and giving them some game time.
If I had to pick one element that made last season so successful, it would be the collective spirit within the team. The development team have arguably the best team spirit in the club, if you play 80 minutes of rugby, collect 30 high balls under pressure and only fumble one, you will be rewarded by your team mates mocking you relentlessly about the one that you dropped! The development team is all about playing for the guys around you; we donâ€™t get up from the bottom of a ruck and sprint to the next one for the collective good of the club, we do it because our mates are going to be at the bottom of that next ruck. Iâ€™m pleased to see that the only honour my club could find to put next to my name was that â€œhe beat anorexiaâ€.
I would encourage all of the players to get themselves down to training, I might even venture down there myself on occasion but away from the organised training each player is responsible for their own fitness, I donâ€™t expect Olympic athletes (unlike that fitness Nazi - Tommy Wilson) but we should be starting the season with a reasonable level of fitness.
Guys, itâ€™s going to be a challenge to improve on last year but I for one am very excited about it â€“ canâ€™t wait for it to start!

Pitchy
(Still got anorexia on the ropes).