New boys settling in well
Jul
New signings Nathan Jones and Kieran Hallett are delighted by the way they have been accepted into the ranks here at Nottingham Rugby and are both looking forward to the new season with a great deal of optimism.
Scrum-half Jones, who signed a one-year deal with the Green and Whites earlier this summer after leaving Championship rivals Doncaster Knights, has been impressed by the way that the new-look squad has bonded in just a few days.
“From my point of view, I’ve known Nottingham have had this kind of air about them over the last few years,” said the 27-year-old.
“They do well on the pitch but they do it with a bit of fun, they’re not afraid to have a bit of fun away from the pitch. Just in the short time that we’ve been here now, on the first day we had a barbeque, getting all the lads together and then on the second or third day we all went out for a bite to eat in West Bridgford, so they’re really keen on doing stuff outside of the rugby to get that element of fun, which will come across actually in the rugby as well, so it’s going well, I’m really enjoying it.”
Fly-half Hallett, who also put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal at Nottingham Rugby, feels that the mix of new players and the return of some familiar faces will give the Green and Whites the perfect mix going into the new campaign.
“Having the guys come back into the squad, having been away and getting valuable Premiership experience, is going to make a massive difference,” explained Hallett. “There is definitely a sense that the squad underachieved last year for one reason or another, whether it was injuries or whatever, so I feel there’s a real emphasis on trying to right that this year and really hit the ground running in September.
“As a player, when you look back on your career, you want to be able to say that you played in the big games and to do that you have to be at a club that’s capable of getting into those situations,” he added.
“It’s early days but we’re starting to come together really well already so we’re looking pretty good and with the way the league is structured now, you need to make sure you’re in the top eight and then make sure that the timing’s right so that everyone’s peaking when the play-offs start and then it’s anyone’s game really.
“It can be quite tough to get that balance between professionalism and still being a proper old school rugby club and having that feel about it, but Nottingham is definitely one of those clubs that has that feel about it.”
