Diamond arrived at Kingston Park in February, but the rot had long since set in and he was unable to stop the team from suffering a season whitewash.

However, plans were being put in place to make things better for the new campaign.

The squad has been streamlined and in Diamond's mind made more competitive as the former Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors director of rugby aims to improve the club's fortunes.

"The most important thing we've done is reduce the squad size from 50 to 38 for various reasons," he said.

"For one, cost if I'm honest, but we don't need a squad that big. You can only play 23 players in a game and I felt we were carrying too much dead wood.

"The facts are brutally honest, 22 players have left and only three have got a Premiership club. We got that bit right.

"The seven or eight that have come in, I wouldn't say they are superstars but they have come with a pedigree of being dominant players in the Premiership and the competitions they have come from.

"And then we have promoted 10 kids from the academy."