The new season starts on Saturday, and history will be made when Hull RUFC travel to Bishop’s Stortford for their first ever game in the third tier of English rugby. It’s a chance for the club to face tougher opposition than ever before and visit grounds that host some of the biggest names in the English game. Pearce knows that the adventure will have its ups and downs, but he admits the new experiences will help his players reach a new level.
“Teams won’t know much about us,” Pearce said.
“We are going into the unknown, we’ll come up against top sides, but we’ll see how things go. We can surprise ourselves.
“The first month will tell us a lot as to whether we are going to be competitive and I hope we are to start with.
“Our squad has been together for a long time and we know how we play and what we need to do.
“We know, defensively we are very good. We’ll focus on the first two games and we’ll see where that takes us.
“A trip to Bishop’s Stortford and Rosslyn Park at home the following week will be a great test for the players who have earned this right to play at this level.
“Going to different grounds will be exciting and it makes you play better.
“Our players know they will not be scoring 40 points every week.
“They know they are going to have to be on their game every week. After a month, we’ll be able to gauge the other teams.
“It’s going to be interesting times, but good times.”
HULL RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB 