Director of Rugby Gavin Hogg is confident that Bury St Edmunds have a winning team off the pitch that can help inspire success on it this season.

The Green & Ambers begin their second season in National 3 – the highest level at which they have played – at Gravesend today, hoping to improve on last season’s seventh-placed finish.

A summer of re-building has seen former Richmond and London Irish coach Jack Heald appointed as head coach, and he will work alongside playing chairman Terry Sands.

Northampton Saints Academy coach Jon Curry will work with the forwards, leaving Hogg to mastermind the ambitious club’s overall project.

Only two teams, Dorking and Old Elthamians, who were both promoted at the end of last season, defeated Bury home and away last term, while several of the team’s other losses were by a handful of points.

Going into today’s game, Hogg is confident the new-look coaching team at The Haberden can bridge the gap between success and failure.

“I was quite pleased with a mid-table finish last season and there were several close games we lost where we were in a position to close them out,” said Hogg.

“With Jack (Heald) and Jon Curry on-board, we have added that experience and people who know what it takes to be competitive at this level, and what it takes to win a game.

“There were five or six losses last season that could have easily have gone our way and that would have been 20-25 more points which, this season, will put us in those top positions.

“Handing the reins over to Jack and Jon is different for me but it’s great as I can stand on the sidelines and see the quality of coaching the players are receiving.

“That puts me in quite a relaxed and contented position and I think we are further on than we were at this stage last season.”