OUR season finally reaches its conclusion on Saturday.

We go head-to-head with Auch in the European Shield final in Oxford and it will be a great day out for our supporters.

There is a trophy up for grabs and, whatever we think about the competition as a whole, we can still win Worcester's first ever piece of European silverware.

We've already secured our place in next season's Premiership so we have achieved our goal this year. The final will be an interesting experience although it's been a struggle just getting 22 names together.

Injuries have limited us and, along with the farcical regulations over player registration, it has given us a problem which we've tried like hell to get around.

In the end, Steve Sparks will have to soldier on and do us a favour on Saturday even though he is carrying an injury.

It wouldn't surprise me, though, if the game goes to uncontested scrums because of our problems and that's a pity for a European final.

We've tried to hammer home that point but ERC says rules are rules. It is a situation which desperately needs to be looked at for next season because there has to be some flexibility otherwise you are potentially putting people's safety in question.

Players come and go during a season and the registration process should reflect that because our squad list now is very different to the one registered at the start of the campaign.

Looking at the team, it's a chance for people like Siaosi Vaili, Neil Mason, Jon Hylton and Paul Sampson to remind us of their talent as regards for next season. Their futures are undecided at present so they have another chance to impress myself and John Brain.

Of course, we are looking at different areas for recruitment. It's that time of year when contracts are being decided upon and players' futures determined. The professional game doesn't allow for sentiment so you have to be ruthless and get the balance of your squad right, especially with the salary cap in place.

This week, we've announced the capture of Nicolas Le Roux. I think it's a great signing for the supporters because he's a real talent, a flair player who will enhance our back-line next season.

What I would like to make perfectly clear, however, is that Nicolas' signing does not affect Thinus Delport's situation. There has been some daft speculation surrounding Thinus but he's our player and won't be moving anywhere. We are trying to strengthen, not weaken.