HALSTEAD Templars are continuing their preparations for the new season.

Training has been well-attended by a mixture of new and old faces.

The club’s coaches have focused on last year’s weaknesses and pushed the squad hard to try and improve in key areas.

The squad have worked hard and the improvements are starting to show already, with individual technique improving week on week.

Add these improvements to the squad’s strengths and the team should be confident going into the new season.

Wingers Ashley Mead and Taylor Carroll and back-row forward Will Allen are showing huge signs of individual improvements.

Key players are returning, with scrum-half Simon Wells returning to fitness and he should be able to train in a few weeks.

Senior player Aeron Stubbs is also returning to fitness and training well.

Big doubts for the upcoming season are front-row forwards Steve Arundell and Steve Amass, who are carrying shoulder injuries from the end of last season, and influential centre Jamie Carroll.

The latter has only just returned to fitness work and probably won’t figure in the team until the season is coming to an end.