Gloucester Vs Leicester

[FKAS]

Gloucester Rugby:

15. Kyle Moyle
14. Tom Seabrook *
13. Billy Twelvetrees
12. Mark Atkinson
11. Ollie Thorley *
10. Lloyd Evans *
9. Ben Meehan
1. Harry Elrington
2. Jack Singleton
3. Fraser Balmain
4. Ed Slater
5. Andrew Davidson
6. Ben Morgan
7. Lewis Ludlow (c) *
8. Ruan Ackermann

16. Henry Walker *
17. Jamal Ford-Robinson
18. Kirill Gotovtsev
19. Freddie Clarke *
20. Wian Conradie
21. Jack Clement *
22. Stephen Varney *
23. Adam Hastings

*Denotes Academy player or graduate from the Gloucester Rugby Academy

STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [36]
14 Harry Potter [17]
13 Matt Scott [26]
12 Dan Kelly [21]
11 Nemani Nadolo [17]
10 George Ford [106]
9 Jack van Poortvliet [22]
1 Ellis Genge (c) [90]
2 Nic Dolly [4]
3 Dan Cole [265]
4 Harry Wells [125]
5 Eli Snyman [1]
6 George Martin [18]
7 Tommy Reffell [48]
8 Hanro Liebenberg (vc) [37]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Tom Cowan-Dickie [1]
17 Francois van Wyk [1]
18 Joe Heyes [72]
19 Calum Green [61]
20 Ollie Chessum [9]
21 Ben Youngs [265]
22 Freddie Burns [77]
23 Guy Porter [18]

Tigers rotate two from the bench to the starting line up. Heyes comes on to the bench. JVP being let loose after his pre season will be interesting to watch, Ben played with a lot of freedom last weekend and created well. Competition between the pair of them should be good to watch.

[fivepointer]

Slater stiffens the Glos pack and Atkinson usually makes a positive difference.

JvP trusted to start which is good to see.

[FKAS]

Slater is a really good player but showing his age a bit now. I was gutted when he left Tigers, brilliant player and captain for us. His return is a definite boost for Glaws.

Atkinson's return adds a bit of power to the midfield but neither Atkinson nor Twelvetrees are as quick as they used to be. I hope we can use that to our advantage and look to isolate the wingers, particularly young Seabrook. Lack of back options for Glaws suggests some injury issues and maybe suggests they want to go hard up front.

JVP started a few games last season, Borthwick likes rotating his scrum halfs and now Wigglesworth is player/coach then it's JVP and Youngs out in front in terms of selection. They should really push each other to play well which is exactly what Tigers and England want.

Ben Morgan at 6 is an interesting call. Possibly reinforces the Glaws intent to go hard up front. Big backrow that like to carry. Ackerman isn't bad at the breakdown but they are lacking a natural fetcher.

[Puja]

Nice consistent Leicester side - interested to see how Snyman goes as he looked solid off the bench vs Exeter. Having Heyes available really strengthens our XXIII as well. Gloucester are never to be underwstimated, especially on a Friday night at Kingsholm, but I'm feeling confident with that team.

Glaws appear to have run out of opensides, which could be dangerous against Reffell. Also, where's Jonny May? Has he a niggle?

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Slater is a really good player but showing his age a bit now. I was gutted when he left Tigers, brilliant player and captain for us. His return is a definite boost for Glaws.

Atkinson's return adds a bit of power to the midfield but neither Atkinson nor Twelvetrees are as quick as they used to be. I hope we can use that to our advantage and look to isolate the wingers, particularly young Seabrook. Lack of back options for Glaws suggests some injury issues and maybe suggests they want to go hard up front.

JVP started a few games last season, Borthwick likes rotating his scrum halfs and now Wigglesworth is player/coach then it's JVP and Youngs out in front in terms of selection. They should really push each other to play well which is exactly what Tigers and England want.

Ben Morgan at 6 is an interesting call. Possibly reinforces the Glaws intent to go hard up front. Big backrow that like to carry. Ackerman isn't bad at the breakdown but they are lacking a natural fetcher.

Strange to have the lineup that way though? I’d have thought Morgan at 8 and Ackermann at 6 would be a better way of doing it. Morgan will carry all day long, but he’s not really famed for his work rate and speed to the breakdown.

[Gloskarlos]

Jordy Reid has his leg in a cast. Big loss. Suspect Conradie will get his first start soon enough from the bench. Not sure what happened to Jonny May, I am more worried about our front row. Ben Morgan showed up well last week. We needed Slater back desperately, great player for us. Billy at 13 is a definite target for mobility that Tigers should exploit. Seabrook will hold his own.

Tigers favourites - hopeful Glos get something out of the game.

[Gloskarlos]

Heard the cheap shot by Grayson at the end of the last match has done Jonny for this weekend.

I'm finding it very concerning that in the first 2 weeks of the season we already seeing patched up Glos teamsheets, players out of position, senior players already out injured. We have many players out with Lions and our Argentinian trio all selected for the national side, we are now managed by 2 ex second rows yet don't seem to have resourced that area properly.

[Puja]

Heard the cheap shot by Grayson at the end of the last match has done Jonny for this weekend.

Ah, that makes sense - had forgotten that that had happened. It was a nasty contact and it's good that he's being looked after, which isn't always the case rn.

Nice also that it was actually penalised at the time - so many cheap shots on try-scorers aren't.

Puja

[Gloskarlos]

Glos have seen sense and now have Morgan at 8 and Ackerman at 6. Was wondering if it was a tactic to bolster Elrington with more weight against Cole, but clearly not.

[twitchy]

Kits annoyingly similar.

[FKAS]

Glaws just starting now. Their discipline early doors was shocking and caused all their own issues.

[FKAS]

Twelvetrees perhaps lucky not to be done for in at the side on the try there as well.

[FKAS]

Nice to see no sense of consistency on the high tackles as per usual.

Tap and go under the new laws is a risky move, not really sure why we went for that.

[Gloskarlos]

3 pens in 3 mins is ludicrous. Discipline will cost Glos all day long. daft mistakes turning promising attacks into field length turnovers. Pack not being beaten by tigers which is something I guess, but I foresee more situations to come where glos will contrive to hand it over. Backs play looks quite ponderous too. Fords bomb is a bitch.

[FKAS]

Yeah your backs haven't done much but your forwards are running really nice lines Gloskarlos. Is the kicking for the corner and ignoring the three points a usual Flaws thing under Skivs?

I think Ford is trying to prove a point. He looks pretty pumped for this one. Cutting down Morgan one on one off that scrum was pretty impressive.

Frustrating as a Tigers fan we should have put at least one more try away there.

[Gloskarlos]

Think they’re just playing being pumped by the crowd, perhaps already one mind on a try bp. Not sure it’s an absolute Skivs tactic. Cole should’ve scored really. Steward doing very well. Hoping we can keep it tight enough early second half to at least keep it interesting

[Puja]

Frustrating as a Tigers fan we should have put at least one more try away there.

Oddly, we're playing really quite badly and yet solidly in control. Our attack hasn't really got its shape together and there's been some stupendous examples of clog hands, not least of which was Matt Scott forgetting how his arms worked and spooning it forward when a simple pass would've put Potter in for a score.

More to come from us, but also Glaws have a few extra gears and we could easily start falling apart. Some stern words from Borthwick in the changing rooms hopefully.

JVP's box kicking is very, very ropey. Needs work.

Puja

[FKAS]

Benny coming on, hopefully to add some structure. We've looked good in attack at times but the tactical game has been a real mess. Agree with you Puja not playing well but somehow looking comfortable. Not looking quite so comfortable in this half though.

[FKAS]

Magic from Potter and then the stupid errors and Glaws strike back.

Both of these sides would be dangerous if they'd cut the stupid bits out.

[FKAS]

No idea what the yellow card was given for that looked like Glaws slipped under the momentum. It was coming though Tigers maul defence has been dire. Borthwick will be fuming.

[Raggs]

No idea what the yellow card was given for that looked like Glaws slipped under the momentum. It was coming though Tigers maul defence has been dire. Borthwick will be fuming.

Nah, there was a clear in at the side. Sure he came in at the side on his own players, but that's still the side of the maul and not the back.

[Puja]

If we manage to throw away this victory somehow, I'll scream.

Puja

[Puja]

Christ alight, we came close to throwing that away. Some incredibly average penalties given away, plenty of defensive mistakes, Ford forgot how to kick from the ground, failed to adapt to Gloucester's maul (although they were blocking every single time - the maul was started before the catcher came down with the ball) - we were a mess.

And yet, a 5 point win, away from home. Not to be sniffed at. That's the kind of game that we'd've lost last season.

Puja

[FKAS]

No idea what the yellow card was given for that looked like Glaws slipped under the momentum. It was coming though Tigers maul defence has been dire. Borthwick will be fuming.

Nah, there was a clear in at the side. Sure he came in at the side on his own players, but that's still the side of the maul and not the back.

Well sir saw something I didn't so you're probably right.

[Gloskarlos]

Just too many errors. Potters try from yet another promising glos lineout lost. Then optional tackling. If you think a Glos lineout maul is preformed take a relook at the same for tigers try. Think I’d have taken 2bp at the start, but reckon we left a draw out there through basic basic errors.