WE go into Sunday's clash at Henley probably with the best spirit in the camp ever as we prepare for the final National One run-in.

The training camp in Spain has proved to be a huge success with the players even closer than they were before they flew out.

It is fair to say that the spirit was excellent before the trip but the squad, not just the first 15, are as tight-knit as you are ever going to see.

It will be an important factor with games at Bedford and Leeds coming up in the next couple of months. We face a test not only of our skills as rugby players but also an examination of our mental strength and our hunger to work for each other and become champions of this league. Things will not be easy and there are hurdles to come but I am confident that we have all we need now to go on and clinch that goal.

We arrive back from Spain tomorrow completely focussed on the Henley game. We have been preparing for the match all week. Of course the boys have had their spare time to play golf, tennis etc but in the mornings, we have enjoyed good training sessions. The resort we stayed at had the facilities to play just about anything you wanted and the boys took part in most sports with even an athletics day on Wednesday. I must say getting some sun on your back does wonders for you not only physically but mentally as well. When I heard about the freezing fog in Worcester, I had a wry smile on my face!

The only drawback to the trip however, would be if we lose any matches from now until the end of the season. I do not foresee that happening because I am confident the players have completely re-charged their batteries for the run-in. However, we had only just announced we were going on the trip back in December when we lost at Moseley! If we do lose any matches now it opens us up to accusations that we went out on a holiday in Spain while the rest of the teams in the league were working hard in training back home. At Worcester we will always be deemed the 'big-time' boys in the league we are in because we are professional. We aim though to completely justify the trip with another eight wins until the end of the season. Let me make it clear, the players have been worked very hard and they will come back to England a lot fitter than before. With the hot, dry conditions you can do different fitness work and it has been a very worthwhile five days, make no mistake.

On Saturday we showed, once again this season, great spirit and character to chalk up four tries, a victory and a bonus point at Wakefield.

I am not a great fan of rugby being played in the muddy, atrocious conditions like we saw in Yorkshire but it does underline the character in the side.

I don't think we were ever in danger of losing the match and the forwards were really strong. Every time we got an opportunity to drive their pack back, we seemed to make 30 metres. The forwards were impressive against Waterloo a week earlier and they are really finding a good level of consistency now. It wasn't a pretty game and performance but at the final whistle, we had the result and the bonus point. Richard Jarman impressed as a second-half substitute and, in hindsight, he probably would have been a better starter in the conditions. Ricky Pellow was very unfortunate that I have put him in for two games at scrum-half and he has had to face some dreadful conditions. First, the driving rain against Waterloo and then a mud-bath at Wakefield. Jarman is more used to those conditions and I thought he went well in the second half.

Andrew Lamerton has not had the best week having gone down with scrum pox but we are more hopeful than we were earlier in the week that he will make the Henley trip. Lamerton struggled a bit at Wakefield but he has been a really consistent performer this season and is a key player for us. Jarman will return at number nine at Henley while Rudi Keil comes in at centre to partner Scott Barrow while skipper Alistair Murdoch reverts to the wing.