THE crazy thing about yesterday's wildcard game against Gloucester at Kingsholm was that we knew our chances of getting to the play-off final at Twickenham at the end of the month rested on more than just the outcome.

It is an odd competition where you can lose a semi-final, but still go through to a final, but that's due to the strange system they have of determining which English clubs get through to the Heineken Cup.

Obviously, that is our target and we will just have to see how things unfold.

Just as important as our European future prospects have been the signings that our new director of rugby, Philippe Saint-Andre has been announcing.

He has sprung six new players on us and it is fairly obvious, looking at their pedigree, that they will bolster the squad massively.

We should certainly have a strong pack next season and Philippe has gone for the sort of players he feels can sustain a European challenge.

Struggled

In the past we have invariably struggled against the bigger packs you face in the Heineken Cup, but things may be different next season.

I don't really know the new players apart from Trevor Woodman, who I have trained with when I have been invited down to England sessions, and there is no doubting his pedigree.

Of course, I was always going to be interested to see who they brought in as forwards coach, a job I have been doing temporarily but want to concentrate on playing at present.

I can't say that I know Kingsley Jones but you could say that he and I have had a bit of banter when we have come up against each other when Sharks played Gloucester.

I know that he is a hard lad and I'm told that he took time out to watch us play recently and was impressed.

Both Robert Todd and John Payne, the Tongan centre, are big lads who let opponents know they are around.

The front five will definitely be more of a force, and with powerful centres, a back three as good as we have in Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto and Steve Hanley, and quality players at half back, we should be a more difficult side to play.