As Jim takes on his new role as Army Parachuting Instructor in Brize Norton we mull over his many victims during his reign as Strength and Conditioning coach.

Initially Jim struck fear into our men's squad. The words: sprawl and logs still haunt the players. But since Jim's appointment the squad have not only gained in physical condition but they are mentally tougher. Jim helped to ingrain a militaristic mindset in the boys: they are more resilient to the (inevitable) pain(s) of the game, they are able to make concise decisions under fatigue and most importantly they have the belief that they can win.

Below is a selection of Jim's victims who survived the ordeal:

Elliot reveals his (not-so-secret) soft side - a few words from the man himself:

A season and a half ago, I was asked by Soaps (Lee Soper) if I was interested in taking on the role of Strength and Conditioning coach at Colchester Rugby Club. At first I was nervous to accept the position but on reflection, I had no need to be nervous. The Pre-Season Squad fully embraced what I had to offer that Summer: they wanted to be as fit and strong as possible but most importantly they had the mental grit to achieve it and it made my role easy because all I did was point them in the right direction. I've been nothing but a glorified Sat Nav! I have loved being a part of this club and for my very small part, I hope I have made a difference.

People often ask me what is going wrong if we are not winning but very few highlight what is going right. I don't have the answers when people ask why we have lost a game, I am no rugby player. But I do always point out how fit, how strong and how tough our lads are. I have never been to an establishment, be it sport, military or social that has a bond like Colchester Rugby Club. The men that play here, play with their hearts. We are not a clinical club. We are not a mercenary club. We are a family club!

It's time for me to move on in my career, I will be devastated to leave the club. There is no other club like Colchester and there are too many people to thank individually. The stability and friendship of the Colchester Rugby Club family has seen me through some tough times. I will always keep an eye on the club no matter where I wind up. It's been a real pleasure.

Thank you for your time with me,

SPRAWL!

Jim

We wish Jim the best of luck with his new venture! He will be sorely missed by all at Colchester Rugby Club.