Maids hoping to get off to ‘best possible start’
Maidenhead RFC: Club preparing for debut campaign in London & South East Premier
With a new season of community rugby just over a month away, Maidenhead RFC head coach David Mobbs-Smith is working hard to give his side the best possible start to their debut campaign in the London & South East Premier.
At Braywick Park, preparations are underway for Maids’ first game against North Walsham on September 4 with full-contact now permissible to be utilised in training under stage E1 of the return-to-rugby roadmap.
Grassroots teams will next be allowed to incorporate the use of scrums and mauls in friendly fixtures from next Saturday in order to ensure an ‘incremental and safe return for players’, and Mobbs-Smith is looking forward to bringing back the biff in a trio of matches later in August.
Maidenhead will play Guildford at home on the 14th, away on the 21st, and on Thursday, August 26, Mobbs-Smith’s men will welcome Henley to Braywick Park to conclude their pre-season schedule.
“We’ve got a one-month window to prepare our players as best we can for the new season, and also be ready for the return of contact in matches,” said the Maids head coach.
“It’s been graduated in our training and in our sessions, and we will also be allowed to use it in a handful of friendlies later in August.
“There are a lot of unknowns going into the season but, for now, we’re positive. The main concern is how the players will cope after such a long layoff.
“There will be some struggles, and I’m sure it will be the case for all teams up and down the country.
“I’ve just been coaching a sevens season and there have been a few players who have picked up injuries because they haven’t trained as hard or played as hard.
“Also, at the moment, a lot of the Maidenhead guys have been pinged and are not at training. We have a four-week window to get back to contact levels and a lot of our players have been pinged.
“But, look, it’s something which is happening all over the land and we will just have to adapt to it.
“The bulk are still at training and we’re still putting things together.
“We’re doing the best we can
to get ready for a series of friendlies coming up.”
On the club’s movement for new players, Mobbs-Smith added: “We will be making a club announcement closer to the season on different players and things like that.
“There is quite a lot of movement at the moment with players but I wouldn’t say anything is finalised just yet.
“Also got to see how they fit into the training before we can start making comments.”