Cirencester skipper Oli Newman is planning a hot reception when North Bristol come visiting for a Gloucestershire One clash on Saturday.

That’s even though the 24-year-old admits he is feeling the chill factor after only recently returning from a two-week holiday in Thailand.

“Yes, it’s been a bit of a reality check,” he laughed, “it’s so cold!”

The fly-half missed just the one game while he was away – Cirencester’s 21-17 defeat at Dursley 12 days ago – and is very keen to see the club return to winning ways.

They made a blistering start to the campaign, winning their first five league games, but two defeats in their last three outings have seen them tumble from first to fifth.

That’s not quite as dramatic a fall as it may appear, however, because just three points separate the top five clubs in what is a very congested top of the table.

Cirencester, like all the other teams in the 12-strong division, were without a league game last Saturday and their supporters will be very much hoping for a bonus-point win against second-from-bottom North Bristol in a couple of days’ time.

After North Bristol, Cirencester travel to leaders Old Colstonians on 8th December before hosting third-placed Old Cryptians 10 days’ before Christmas.

“We’ve just had a weekend off and I think it’s a good thing we’re playing North Bristol first,” said Newman. “We know they will be tough but then we’ve got two massive games before the Christmas break.

“The top five is changing every week and we know we need to have a good December, January and February if we are to be in contention in March and April.”

Cheltenham North and Ross-on-Wye are the other two clubs in the promotion shake-up and the division really is split into two, because there is a gap of 13 points between Cirencester and sixth-placed Old Elizabethans.

“We’re coming to the tricky part of the season,” said Newman, who is in his first season as captain. “The weather is changing and we haven’t got the sun and dry pitches that we had at the start of the season. It’s difficult to play the prettier rugby that we were earlier on.

“We probably do prefer the drier, nicer conditions but we’ve worked hard over the past weeks and months and we’re well prepared for the change in conditions.

“You can’t hide from the fact that rugby is a winter sport!”