The new national lockdown has put all sport, including rugby, on hold and it means St Ives have been left frustrated as they wait to unleash six new signings.

Rugby authorities had hoped to be playing some sort of fixtures in 2021, with an adapted version of the 15-a-side game.

And while training was still allowed, the Somersham Road-based club were busy recruiting some new faces.

Winger Mike Brennan is among that number, the 25-year-old winger having previously been at Bury and before that Cambridge, where he spent his time as a junior.

An abrasive winger with a good turn of speed and physicality to match, he started playing rugby at school at the age of 10 and as well as representing the senior side at Cambridge, he gained honours with the likes of Cambridgeshire, Eastern Counties and Irish Exiles.

Head coach Max Dominy said: "Mike is a quick and powerful winger which will give us another dimension and diversity to our attack.

"He is a physical winger that can handle himself in contact, but also has a good turn of pace if he given space to run into."

One of the other new faces is a familiar one.

Michael Wright played for the club at junior level before amassing 82 appearances for the first-team.

The 26-year-old prop forward moved to Oxfordshire in 2015 to study at Oxford Brookes University where he skippered the first XV in his second season.

And it was due to his performances for the university that he earned a move to National Three side Amersham & Chiltern for the 2016-17 season.

The following year saw him step up to National Two with Barnes where he played 23 times in two years.

Speaking on the club website following his return to the club, he said “After speaking with Max and seeing the announcements that have already been made with player and coaches coming in, I knew straight away that is was something I wanted to be a part of.

"I am really looking forward to seeing what successes the future has and the direction the club are heading in.”

Dominy added: "This is a great addition to our squad as it adds even more strength and depth to our pack and especially our front-row.

"It will give us greater competition for places and Michael is someone who I know will buy into every aspect of the club."

The other new signings are back-row forward Oli Watts and backs Owain Collard (centre), Jason Chamberlain (scrum-half) and Ashton Dallimore (wing).