BOURNEMOUTH Lions forward Will Croker admits the introduction of new coach Junior Paramore has helped to "focus" his mind.

Former Samoan international Paramore was unveiled as the Chapel Gate club's forward coach two weeks ago.

And Croker insists the former Gloucester number eight's presence alone has got the Lions pack champing at the bit in the build-up to their first season in Powergen South West Division One.

Croker said: "We haven't really got too deep into the technical aspects with him yet and we probably won't for another couple of weeks.

"Most of what we've been doing has been fitness and conditioning work which Mark (Burley - coach) has been leading.

"But just having someone like Junior around makes you focus your mind that little bit more.

"He's widely-regarded as one of the best foreign imports into the Premiership. People always talk about the likes of Francois Pienaar when he was at Saracens and Junior is talked about in the same breath. If you speak to anyone at Gloucester, they'll only have good things to say about him.

"Gloucester have always been renowned for having a forward-based game and he epitomises everything that they're about, which is the fact that their pack is hard a nails!"

Paramore played 26 times for Samoa and also turned out for the All Blacks in the 1993 Hong Kong Sevens. He made 97 Guinness Premiership appearances for Gloucester in a glittering five-year spell at the club.

The former Luton coach joins fellow ex-Premiership star Robert Todd at Chapel Gate and, according to Croker, the Lions training is already feeling the impact of having two ex-pros on the books.

He added: "At the moment they are just physically beasting us!

"Obviously with us going up a level, it's really a case of everyone getting as fit as is humanly possible."