Bury St Edmunds director of rugby Jacob Ford adds Trystan Andrews, Iain Carmichael and Jamie Light to squad as side impress with Doncaster Knights

Bury St Edmunds director of rugby Jacob Ford has added two internationals and a homegrown player to his squad while he felt his side ‘performed above his expectations’ in their training session with RFU Championship outfit Doncaster Knights last Thursday.

Scottish duo Trystan Andrews and Iain Carmichael have arrived from Australian outfit Eastwood. The former, a number eight and flanker, boasts a vast amount of playing experience at professional and semi-professional level – having also plied his trade with Team GB Sevens, Edinburgh, Melrose and Southern Knights.

Meanwhile, prop and hooker Carmichael, who has represented Scotland Under-20s, worked his way through Newcastle and Glasgow’s academies before turning out for Glasgow Hawks in the Scottish Premiership.

With both signings not teaming up with the Wolfpack until the end of the month, Ford, who has now welcomed 15 additions to his squad this summer, recognises how important it is that they both join knowing someone in the squad.

“Naturally when you sign players who are going to arrive later and come off back of a full season, it is helpful that they know each other and they come in at the same time,” he said.

“They’ve got the same challenges together, in terms of managing the load but also with what they need to learn and catch up on when they get here. It’s definitely going to help because they can share those experiences together and help each other through it.”

Former Ramblin Jesters sevens backline player Jamie Light, who was raised near Colchester, has also put pen to paper at the Greene King IPA Haberden – and already knows a few players in the squad from his days at St Joseph’s College in Ipswich.

Ford said: “It’s important we attract the local talent and we get players who maybe had a bit of time out the game, or had been wanting to get back playing from when they played at university or school, to encourage them to be a part of what we’re about here and get them excited about top-level rugby at Bury St Edmunds.”

Bury continued their pre-season preparations with a training session with Championship outfit Doncaster Knights last week, and Ford was delighted with his side’s account of themselves.

“We performed above my expectations because we were a little bit behind where we wanted to be, but we really stepped it up and got a lot of learnings from that session,” he said.

“We tried to impose our game on a team who are very disciplined, very organised and with not a lot of space.

“You can look a million dollars in training but as soon as the games come around and pressure comes on you, that’s when you get found out.

“That’s what we’re trying to do in pre-season – put our lads under pressure and hopefully when we start playing we’re used to that.”

Meanwhile, Munro’s Bury Barbarians defeated Thurston Rangers 76-26 in the inaugural Munro Cup on Friday night – played in memory of Bury and Thurston stalwart Mark Williams. A large crowd turned out to watch a ‘true and fitting tribute to such a great man’.