Jersey Reds squad for next season finalised by Christmas, says boss Harvey Biljon

Jersey Reds expect to finalise which members of their squad they want to keep for next season by Christmas.

The island side, who are currently 10th in the Championship, brought in 22 new players in the summer.

"We've begun our retention process already," boss Harvey Biljon said.

"I would hope over the next four to five weeks our retention for next season is completed and that brings the continuity we want going into next season," he told BBC Radio Jersey.

"It also gives us the opportunity to know early what positions we're recruiting in and that will help us to recruit the right people early and plan early so next season is an even more smooth transition and we can hopefully be stronger again."

Jersey have won just two of their seven Championship games this season, but have won both of the British and Irish Cup ties.

But Biljon can see progress as his new-look squad starts to gel.

"Taking into consideration the 22 new players that have in the squad, I'm reasonably happy with where the group is.

"I'm not getting carried away, I want more, I want the players to want more and I want us to learn quicker," he said.

"Ultimately we're not where we want to be in the league," added Biljon..

"We lost to Bristol, which is to be expected when you talk about the quality they've got, so it's about how we look upwards and look forward, and continue to make sure we learn from those first round of games, and we don't make the same mistakes and potentially turn some of those two or three point losses into victories."