Canterbury start their new National League 2 East season this Saturday at North Walsham without head coach Matt Corker on the field.

Ex-London Wasps player Corker has opted to call time on his career.

“I think my boots are firmly hung up,” said Corker. “We had twins in lockdown.

“There’s bits that are harder and bits that are easier [about coaching on the sidelines]. I really enjoyed being a coach on the pitch, it almost allows you to coach within the game.

“But also, it puts quite a lot of pressure on your body. When I look at the pitch at the moment, I do think I would love to be out there with them.”

Canterbury ended their pre-season campaign last Friday with a 40-17 success over Westcombe Park, with Corker admitting he would love to play Friday night friendlies again in the future.

Canterbury’s tries were scored by Will Waddington, Tom Williams, winger Frankie Morgan and Will McColl, while there was a penalty try, too.

Corker said: “The game against Westcombe Park was actually a really important one for us. We were a lot more physical and a lot more accurate, scoring some really nice tries. But the real stuff starts now.”

Corker, who had most recently played regularly for the city club in 2020, is pleased with how their warm-up games have gone.

“I’m really happy actually,” he said. “The blot on the paper would be Brighton (a 27-26 loss) but I think that’s a really good experience. It shows, if you don’t turn up physically, you are going to be in trouble.

“Part of our job is not to forget that. But it’s great to see how the new players have integrated, the way we gel is really important to us.

“I think the lads can be really proud of how they have integrated people in - including the young players.”

It’s a 350-mile round trip to start and Corker expects this weekend’s hosts, from Norfolk, to be up for their inaugural match in a new league.