CHAMPIONS Saints have close to their whole squad back in full training.

All of the players who had off-season surgeries - Mark Percival, Alex Walmsley and Morgan Knowles - are back in full training.

The only player currently out is centre Kevin Naiqama, who has had a minor knee clean out, but he's due back within a fortnight.

Coach Kristian Woolf explained: "Kevin had to have a late clean out of his knee.

"He started the pre-season but there was an underlying issue there that, although we knew that it was not major, was better to get done sooner rather than later.

"He will be back in full training in a week or so."

Woolf is impressed with the shape of his squad and the condition they returned to pre-season training in the New Year.

He said: "All came back in really good shape and I am really happy with them in that sense.

"After having such a great success at the end of last year, and a long season in which they have had to show a lot of discipline in so many ways on and off the field.

"And one in which they worked so hard for so long, there is always a little bit of risk that players would give themselves extra break and not come back exactly how you want them but I have been really impressed and happy with how they have come back.

"We have learned to expect nothing less because that is how they have been through the lockdown period and that is why they get the success that they do."