Season Preview: Gloucester 2015/16
Last season 2014/15:
Having recruited David Humphreys from Ulster as Director of Rugby and Laurie Fisher from the Brumbies as Head Coach, there were hopes that Gloucester may have had the capacity to end a long spell of underachievement last season.
A 19-13 victory over Edinburgh at the Stoop in May netted the Cherry and Whites the European Rugby Challenge Cup, their first piece of silverware since winning the LV Cup in 2012. With this triumph, Gloucester earned themselves a play off place for the following season’s European Champions Cup. Having edged past Connacht after extra time at Kingsholm in the first game, Gloucester faced Bordeaux-Begles in a match hosted at Worcester’s Sixways due to a clash with a Madness concert at Kingsholm. A heartbreaking last minute drop goal from Pierre Bernard denied Gloucester a place in next season’s European Champions Cup.
However, The Cherry and Whites’ European adventures should not mask the fact that this was another bitterly disappointing Premiership season from a Gloucester side who possess the necessary quality to be performing much better than a ninth place finish, the same finish they had achieved twelve months earlier.
It is the inconsistency that will have alarmed Humphreys and Fisher most. Having started the season with a 53-6 walloping from champions Northampton Saints, Gloucester showed their quality a few weeks later with an impressive 33-16 win over Leicester. As the season progressed Gloucester were unable to put a run of wins together, and the resident Shedheads will be alarmed that their side failed to progress domestically from the previous season despite the much heralded coaching recruitment.
2015/16
Players In:
Tom Marshall (Utility back, Tasman Makos/Chiefs)
Jeremy Thrush (Lock, Wellington Lions/Hurricanes)
Paul Doran-Jones (Prop, Harlequins)
Paddy McAllister (Prop, Aurillac)
Nicky Thomas (Prop, Ospreys)
Willi Heinz (Scrum-half, Canterbury/Crusaders)
Tom Lindsay (Hooker, Wasps)
Matt Protheroe (Fly-half/Full Back, Hartpury College)
The arrivals of New Zealanders Marshall, Heinz and All Black Thrush will have caught the attention most, each bringing with them plenty of Super Rugby experience. Thrush in particular may be the most important piece of business to shore up a pack and line out that has struggled in recent years.
Players Out:
Dan Robson (Scrum-half, Wasps)
Aled Thomas (Fly-half, Scarlets)
Aleki Lutui (Hooker, Ampthill)
Tom Palmer (Lock, Benetton Treviso)
Rory Bartle (Lock, London Scottish)
Jonny Hill (Lock, Exeter Chiefs)
Shaun Knight (Prop, Newport Gwent Dragons)
Shane Monahan (Wing/Centre, Munster)
Sila Puafisi (Prop, Glasgow Warriors
Gloucester have avoided losing key players, which ought to be seen as encouraging. Predominantly only cover players are leaving Kingsholm and all appear to have been more than adequately replaced.
Key Player:
Ben Morgan was a huge loss for Gloucester when he suffered a serious knee and ankle injury against Saracens in January, missing the rest of the season. The talented number 8 is now fighting fit and looking forward to the Rugby World Cup with England. If Morgan can maintain his fitness and recapture the form he was in before his injury, were he was man of the series in the Autumn Internationals, both England and Gloucester will benefit greatly. Morgan will surely feel he has a point to prove having missed the run-in last season, and will be hoping to inspire his side to progression from last season.
Hopes and Fears for 2015/16:
As ever, predicting Gloucester’s fate is a near-impossible task. All too often they have looked to have got the right blend of dynamic and pacy backs and solid forwards with the right coaches to get the best out of them. It really did look as though they had finally got it right with the appointment of Humphreys and Fisher and yet the Shedheads will have felt disappointed. The fear is that the Cherry and Whites spend another season flattering to deceive and achieve another season stagnating in the lower reaches of the table. This would bely the clear quality they have at their disposal, but with the top half of the table full of quality it would take a big jump in playing quality from last season for Gloucester to be in the mix for the play off places in May.
With a trip to Newcastle and a visit from champions Saracens on successive Friday nights to start the season, Gloucester do not have an easy start to their campaign. However, they will be hoping that with a squad relatively unscathed from World Cup call ups they can avoid the kind of demoralising start to the season that has previously undermined them from an early stage and provide a platform for a stronger finish.
LWOS Prediction:
Expect a better season and a battle to achieve a Champions Cup place for the following season, but there is likely to be too much quality above them to mount a serious play off challenge.
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