INFLUENTIAL skipper Ieuan Mustow says he is ready to put his heart and soul into Malvern RFC as he bids to sign off this season in style.
The 24-year-old told the Observer it could be his final campaign for the Spring Lane outfit as he looks to pursue a career in the Royal Marines later this year.
Malvern’s 13-12 victory over Stratford upon Avon last Saturday marked Mustow’s first appearance since November after going on a training course with the marines last month.
And the centre said he was now looking forward to regaining his place in the side and helping Malvern climb up the Midlands One West league table.
“I will look to come back but it will be quite intense so I doubt I will have much time off so this will probably be may last stint of rugby for a while, which is tough,” Mustow said.
“But I am now looking to give everything I have got for the remainder of the season.
“You don’t realise how much you miss it until it has gone, such as the buzz before the game. I am very much looking forward to getting back into the mix and hopefully get selected as other boys have been doing quite well since I have been away.
“Ryan Watkins who has replaced me in the side as captain has done really well, so I am certainly not expecting to walk straight back into the side.
“But hopefully I will get the nod at some point and I am looking forward to getting back involved again.”
Mustow only came on as a blood replacement during Malvern’s trip to Stratford, but he believes the performance on Saturday epitomised what the club are hoping to achieve this year.
“What we have been concentrating on recently is not necessarily the result but it is just about working hard for the full 80 minutes and really putting in an abrasive shift,” he added.
“A couple of weeks ago we were unlucky against Stoke as we conceded a try right at the death, which could have knocked the wind out of our sails.
“But last week we beat Stratford by a point and I thought the work rate and the tenacity in defence right up until the last minute was fantastic.
“When the chips are down we do tend to pull together and we showed that against Stratford. We might not set the world alight, but one thing we will always do is work hard for each other.”