Hinckley RFC can today announce details of a significant pre-season fixture programme which is being very careful designed to put the squad in the very best place to hit the ground running when it comes to the beginning of the 2021/22 season.

The squad will take to the field for the 1st time in 17 months on Thursday 5th August, where will be a club trial fixture. This fixture will bear all the hallmarks of a normal fixture, with the squad and coaches split in half leading up to the fixture and creating a unique opportunity for this competitive squad to go against those who will be fighting for their shirt in the coming season.

The next week (14th) Loughborough Students are invited to Leicester Road for 2 fixtures which will be a huge test of the squads depth especially if the conditions are warm and firm, with the Students being well known for their exciting brand of rugby, which they weren’t able to show on their last trip to Hinckley in December 2019, when they lost 15 – 9 in terrible conditions.

Next up will be Friday night lights with 2 sides taking on Bournville on the evening of the 20th August, before the final fixtures back at Leicester Road on the 28th August, where the 1st XV will take on Ealing Trailfinders Development, which promises to be a mix of professional players and university students. The Staghounds will also play on the evening of Thursday 26th away at Lutterworth.

Head Coach Chris Campbell said of the fixture programme; we have had to think more about this fixture programme for pre-season than ever before, for 2 key reasons. 1 – players haven’t played for a year and a half and therefore it is going to take time to get them back up to speed, and 2 – with so many genuine options in the squad we need to give everyone an opportunity to stake a claim for the shirt. Therefore this pre-season promises to a programme like no other – gone are the fixtures where you see 35 players rolling on and off – these will be proper fixtures, with squads more in line with what you will see in the league season and the teams being selected closer and closer to what we will run out in the first league fixture as we move towards the end of August.

Kick off times for all fixtures will be announced closer to the time.