Gloucester will battle to the end
GLOUCESTER may be out of the running for a play-off place, but they will not be coasting in the final four rounds of the Premiership.
Director of rugby George Skivington wants his players to have a say in who makes the top four after last weekend’s defeat to Bristol at Kingsholm ended their faint hopes of making a late charge up the table.
Gloucester face Saracens and leaders Northampton at home and welcome Exeter to Kingsholm before a home encounter with Newcastle, who cannot move off the bottom of the table, rounds off their league campaign.
“It is really tight at the top and you want to watch every match in what has been an exciting season,” said Skivington. “It is great for the game that no one team is dominating and what is frustrating for us is that if we had turned our narrow defeats into wins we would have been in the mix.
“We intend to be competitive regardless of what we can achieve in the table. I think Northampton have been the most impressive team this season: they have been good for a few years now but have added bits to make their game well rounded. I have been very impressed with them.
“The Premiership is in a good spot and there should be a lot of drama in the last four rounds. It was always going to be interesting to see how teams came out of the long break and there are going to be more swings and roundabouts.”
What surprised Skivington most about the home defeat to Bristol was the lack of aggression his side showed in defence, a contrast to the previous week when they defeated Leicester at Welford Road.
The two opponents were stark contrasts. Bristol are the top points scorers in the top flight, have made many more metres with the ball in hand than any other club and have beaten more defenders.
They also kick the ball out of hand the least while Leicester put boot to ball more than any other side in the Premiership and make the fewest carries of the sides in the top eight.
“They both have tough running threats but they are very different teams to play against,” said Skivington. “Did we as a coaching group talk too much about Bristol’s willingness to play with width because the boys were not as aggressive as they had been at Leicester and stood off ? Perhaps we tried to adjust to the contrast too much.
“The result was that we fell off more tackles than we had all season and, of all teams, gave Bristol too much time on the ball. We did not take it to them defensively and paid the price.
“Desire did not come into it because, although getting into the top four was always a long shot, it was do or die for us. We led for 65 minutes, but were hanging in there at the end.
“It was a really tough one to swallow but we have been honest about it and took it on the chin with no excuses. It was a reminder how ruthless this league is and that in tight games your defence has to be good.”
Gloucester have been ravaged by injuries all season, but Skivington, inset below, almost has a full hand to select from as the campaign enters its final couple of months.
They had won six matches in a row in all competitions before Bristol’s visit and central to the improvement was the form of No.8 Zach Mercer who, despite missing five league rounds through injury in the autumn, tops the player stats in defenders beaten and is high on the list in carries and gainline carries.
“Zach has found his form and it is incredible that he has beaten more defenders than anyone else given the number of games he missed,” said Skivington. “He had a tough start after returning to England with his non international selection and injury, but he dealt with it well.
“He has found his place in the team and the lads know him better now. Zach moves in a unique way, something no coaching can teach him. He has a licence to do his thing and he has a great feel for the game.”