Hornets host Weston at The Nest in the first pre-season friendly for both clubs ahead of the 2022-23 rugby campaign on Saturday (12.30pm).

And both sides are looking forward to renewing their rivalry ahead of further friendly dates this month.

Hornets also have a fixture against Abertillery on Saturday (2.30pm) and will have two squads in action against Bournemouth (August 20, 2.30pm) and Old Reds (August 26, 7.30pm).

And captain Matthew Parker said: "Pre-season has been full on, with three sessions a week of intense rugby and learning new drills.

"To start with Weston it's the same old, same old - who has the right to the town.

"They will want to prove a point and we will want to show them why we are the better club in the town.

"Abertillery we haven't played, so it will be like most teams we will be playing this year, good to see how we overcome them.

"Bournemouth we played last year so we know we can beat them but this is the big bus trip that no-one likes.

"Old Reds, Jack Gadd's old club and up with us in National Two, so the standard we need to be at and above. So four teams with four different reasons."

Weston, meanwhile, are set to host Bridgwater & Albion on August 20 (3pm) and Gordano on August 25 (7.30pm).

Weston Mercury: Captain Tom Sugg in action for Weston RFC against Hornets last seasonCaptain Tom Sugg in action for Weston RFC against Hornets last season (Image: Archant)

And skipper Tom Sugg says they are looking forward to playing games once again.

He added: "It’s been great to have the boys back together and we seem to be heading in the right direction so far.

"Our core squad has remained fairly unchanged, so we’re not starting again from scratch, and we’ve been working hard on our fitness and ball skills.

"We’ve had the initial sessions to blow the cobwebs out and now we’re getting more into the details of how we want to play.

"We always want to start the season full speed. These three games will help us prepare for that, giving the boys some live game time in a competitive environment, and giving us a chance to make some last-minute tweaks to our game plan and structure

"They will all be wanting to get prepared for the season, so we're expecting some good challenges and exciting games. It's also an opportunity to try things before the league games, like giving new lads a run out.

"We're looking to be very competitive again this season. We've maintained most lads and gained extras in some key positions."