The last few weeks have been painful – for the fans, the players and everyone involved at the Club. We obviously parted company with Dean a couple of weeks ago, a decision not taken lightly. Dean is a good person and has a great future in the game. We will be forever grateful for what he did for the Club, however, we needed to address the situation.

We knew the step-up to the Championship was going to be hard. I don’t think we fully appreciated just how hard. 70-point losses were not in our thinking, but the scoreboard doesn’t lie. The task now is how we go forward.

The immediate steps are to support the lads that are here. Some are experiencing this level of rugby for the first time and doing it tough. Dealing with the physicality is one thing, but retaining a belief on the back of heavy defeats requires a strong mindset. They will find out something about themselves and their teammates over the next few months. We are in the trenches at the moment and grit and determination are the non-negotiables.

Life in the Championship isn’t all bad. We now have first-hand experience of what the step-up means, both on and off the field. Rest assured we are learning lessons which will benefit us in the future. Your support is more important than ever. Let’s stick together and come through it stronger.

So we shall again.

Kenny