Firstly, after directing just two training sessions his verdict was simple, “We are light years ahead of where we were last season!”

He then proceeded to explain his aim for the season and how nothing and no one will be allowed to distract him or the players from what they intend to achieve. Bester pronounced, “Anything but promotion this season will be a disaster!

“Anything but promotion this season will be a total disaster for the players and myself. I don’t care what other people say or think, all that matters is what I and the players think, nobody else - it simply does not matter.

“People can comment as much as they like, it’s like water off a ducks back as far as we are concerned. But that’s the way we are going to operate this year, we are a completely closed group that has certain ambitions and we will go where we want to go to.

“Nothing but promotion will be good enough, anything else is unacceptable! And it’s not just about promotion, we want to dominate. We want to dominate the division and every team within it! And if we don’t, then for myself it will be a personal disaster and for the players also.

“It’s going to be intense and they won’t be any easy games, but don’t make more of it than there is. People always go on about how hard and how tough things are going to be, but we know what we have to do and we’ll pick off one at a time.

“If we don’t win one particular match, it’s not the end of the world; all the other teams are going to loose games this season. But we have learnt a lot of lessons from what Harlequins achieved last season. Harlequins have shown me how to play to win this league.

“I have no doubt about what we will achieve this season, as far as I’m concerned the word doubt does not exist, the word second does not exist, only wining – Champion is what exists for us!

“We will be judged come May next year and then if we didn’t make it, then let everyone have their say. But for us, nothing else matters than to be Champions.”