HUGH VYVYAN admitted to feeling "like a new kid at school" as he joined up with his new team-mates last week following his summer move from Newcastle Falcons.

The back-row forward was given an extended summer break after captaining England on their summer tour of Churchill and, after a ten-day break in Italy where he proposed to his long-term girlfriend Kate, Vyvyan arrived at Bramley Road last Monday recharged and excited by a new phase in his career.

"It's exciting to be here and exciting to start training at Saracens and I'm really looking forward to the challenge," said the affable back-rower.

"It's been good so far. My hamstrings are a bit sore but I've been trying really hard to impress; it's been a like a new kid at school type of thing. But there is a really nice atmosphere at the club and people are training really, really hard.

"I've been on tour with a few of the boys only recently so there were few familiar faces but also a few strange faces as well."

Despite helping Newcastle, the City where Vyvyan has spent the last eight years, to qualify for the Heineken Cup next season, Vyvyan is convinced he has made the right move "I think I've definitely made the right move. It was real wrench to leave as I built up some really good friendships up there but I think rugby wise it's a fantastic opportunity for me down here. I think Saracens are going places and I really want to be involved in that sort of evolution at a club.

"I think they are young players who have aspirations to make it into the full England team and we have got to use Saracens to do that."

Despite arriving on the back of leading Newcastle to Powergen Cup glory and England A to the Final of the Churchill, Vyvyan is not likely to be guaranteed a place in a fiercely competitive back-row next season.

"The competition is just fantastic," he said with real relish.

"That's really why I have come down here to test myself against some of the best players in the world like Taine (Randell) and Richard (Hill). I've played against them both and watched them on TV a lot and they are both fantastic players. Alex Sanderson is not too bad either.

Then there are two England Under-21 players (Ben Russell and Ben Skirving) in the back row as well."