Jersey RFC head coach Ben Harvey and top conditioning coach Rai Garcia-Singh

JERSEY Jersey Rugby Club are certainly putting in some tremendous groundwork to launch a promotion bid in their debut season as a National League side.

With the RFU having restructed their competition pyramid Jersey, who finished a superb third in their debut season in London I last term, will now looking to win automatic promotion from National III (London) to National II.

As expected, head coach Ben Harvey has lost a couple of players, in stand-off Mitch Burton and No 8 Hendry Rheeders, but he has gained several others, including full-time pro South African centre Donovan Sanders (27) who played three years at Coventry, and new second row player Jim Brownrigg who was so impressive for Barnes last term, and who has also captained Bristol.

Said Harvey: ‘Jim isn’t here as a professional. It’s a career move. He’s 31 and an osteopath,’ explained Harvey. He enjoys the lifestyle of Jersey and the rugby club. And we’ve taken on board Nick Dingle and Rai Garcia-Singh for fitness and conditioning. Both will be major assets for the club.’