Q: How is pre-season progressing for the players?
A: It's going well, we're into our fifth week and the boys have been putting in a good shift. We started conditioning games and more rugby specific stuff last week and I think it's definitely a lift in intensity. A few of the boys' bodies are definitely feeling it, but we knew the work load would transition around the fourth and fifth week. The players have been going pretty hard in conditioning games and running and obviously that progression leads us into this week before camp. We try to get a little bit more rugby work done so that when we're in camp we're really only topping up and then after that we only have one week back in Belfast and then we're into our first pre-season game against Leinster. So it's not going to be long in turning around and I think the boys are in good shape physically. We've a few new faces in and obviously with guys coming in from the Academy on development contracts and a few guys coming in from overseas, we're trying to make sure that everybody is on the same page and at the moment it's going well.
Q: How are the new guys settling in?
A: They've settled in really well and we haven't even played a lot of rugby, so it'll be interesting to see when we actually get into those first couple of pre-season games how they come on board. I think coming in to a new team, one of the challenges is simply the terminology. A lot of teams are doing quite similar stuff so just a little bit of tinkering here and there and trying to get the terminology engrained in their minds is important so that calls become second nature and players are not having to compute and translate it on the hoof which then reduces their timing and puts them under less pressure. They've all started pretty well.
Q: The summer months must provide a good opportunity for you to look at younger players and for them to show you what they can do?
A: Some of the guys don't realise how big the jump is to senior pre-season from what they've done coming out of school and in the 20s program, the intensity is definitely up another level and the speed of the game is something that some of those guys will have to get used to. They won't have the same space and same time on the ball but over the last few years we've had a few guys move up and play really well who have stayed with us and that's the opportunity that they've got for the foreseeable future until the world cup players return. We're going to utilise most of the guys that are training with us at the moment and everybody will be getting an opportunity during the two warm-up games and first three PRO12 games, so its exciting times for them. Those young guys are just trying to make sure that they put their best foot forward and get on top of the detail and terminology that some of them will have heard from last year and some of them will just have to pick up fresh, so it's a learning curve, a fairly steep one.
Q: It's also a great time for the Academy guys to step up and compete for places?
A: Yeah there will be opportunities for guys but I don't really see them as Academy players at the minute because we've got so many guys away with Ireland that they're part of the squad now and we're only a couple of injuries away from them being in the starting fifteen. It is great for us having such a good representation in the national setup at the moment and hopefully they will all stay there. Obviously it leaves us a little bit skinny in certain positions but that means those guys who are working hard here have got to step up and be the forerunners for the season. This is going to be the foundation that we're going to build the rest of the season on, so we have got to make sure that it's a strong one for us to kick on post-RWC.
Q: How challenging will that world cup period be, having key players away?
A: At this stage it's like most of the teams in the league, no world cup squads have been finalised and there's a lot of rugby to be played before then. Before the world cup, Ireland have got four games so there will be a few bumps and bruises along the way and we will just have to cope with that accordingly. While the guys are away there are opportunities for other players and it's about making sure they take those opportunities and if a door opens up - they have got to make sure they're ready to push through it and say, 'Listen I'm here to stay, I'm not here to make up the numbers, this is where I want to be and I'll relish the opportunity and take it with both hands.
Q: Joe Barakat arrived in Belfast a few weeks ago, how is he settling into the coaching set up?
A: He's settled in well and he gets on really well with the players. I think it's been good to have a change in voice and change of focus. He's obviously passionate about what he does, you've seen his interviews and he's passionate about the squad we have and what we can do. Ultimately he's come on board to help us win trophies and I think hopefully when we get into the games and get used to his structures and some of his philosophies, they will become second nature to us. We've got to make sure we're working hard on both sides of the ball in defence and attack and I think he will come in and complement the existing set up really well.