He told the club’s official website: “It was a fantastic year. Winning the Magners League title was a fantastic achievement, but the hunger is there to cement top spot in that competition and to push on in the Heineken Cup.

“The squad are in a strong physical condition already, and you can see that there has been a huge amount of work done over the last few weeks.

“Winning silverware really whets the appetite and after making some excellent close season signings I believe that we can move on to another level. We’re extremely ambitious and determined to improve all areas of our game.”