OLD Halesonians' director of rugby Gary Cox is hoping his team's disrupted preparations won't hinder their start to the new season.

Hales only played one pre-season warm-up game this summer when they hosted Stroud last month. Two other scheduled outings were called off when the opposition couldn't fulfill the fixtures.

"We are a little undercooked," said Cox ahead of this Saturday's season opener away at Nuneaton.

"We haven't been able to play the amount of games we would have wanted but everyone is ready and looking forward to getting the season underway.

"We have worked hard and managed to play some games in training. It's not an ideal situation but hopefully our fitness levels are good and the lack of game time won't trouble us.

"Nuneaton are a decent side and will be a tough test for us. We will know a lot more about where we are as a side after the weekend.

"Our aim, as always, is to try and improve each season. It would be fantastic if we could get a top two finish and give ourselves a chance of promotion.

"But there are no easy games in this league and we are steeling ourselves for a tough season."

New arrivals at Wassell Grove include former Stourbridge pair Ben Hughes and Ben Barkley. Both have come in as player/coaches.