Gloucester Thread

[welshglory]

Don't mean to keep repeating this around the forum... But i'm really impressed with Atkinson. If he gets a start at 12, it will be difficult for twelvetrees to get back in. He's got the same skills, except he runs much more direct and with purpose

 

[glawsfan]

I haven't rated Twelvetrees for a while now. He seems to offer little and is nothing more than an average player in my view. Give me Anthony Allen over him anyday. As other have said I would like to see Robson at 9 and Laidlaw at 10 with Hook at 15.

 

[j'nuh]

Not sure where Glos go from here. As has been the case in the last few seasons, Glos are paying right up to the salary cap, and yet are significantly behind the pack of teams that are, and are also behind teams that aren't paying up to the salary cap. We have Quins for company (for how much longer?) this season, but it doesn't change that this is a recurring problem for Gloucester.

By far the biggest problem is dud signings. For every good one we make, we make a few terrible ones. I'll go through a few problems we are having:

• Our main problem is the front row. Afoa and Hibbard have brought an intensity to our front row's loose play, which is great to see. But they are two of our most expensive players, and they almost cancel each other out in the scrum. Afoa goes low and Hibbard's a prop-sized hooker that can't get as low with Afoa. As a result, although our scrum has improved with these two on board, it isn't at the level it needs to be for how much we now spend on it. We may need to get in a smaller hooker to start with Afoa, and bring Hibbard on in a scrummaging unit with a couple of props that prefer to go higher. Which means that we may need to get in the market for another starting hooker. But we also need another second-choice tighthead, as Puafisi and Knight aren't up to Premiership level scrummaging. We also need a first-choice loosehead. Lots of changes in the front row required!
• Back row is perfect. I'd be tempted to let Kalamafoni move on if he doesn't get back to his best, just to move the funding elsewhere. We have Moriarty coming through as a replacement, so are set. Savage can also move back to 6 when needed. Savage, Moriarty, Kvesic, Morgan, Evans with a couple of cheaper players to round things off. It's already a good back row, but could be phenomenal in time.
• Second row requires a bit of work. Stooke hasn't gone much further this season unfortunately. Palmer's a good signing, but 35. Savage/Palmer won't scare the top 4 as a lock combination. Galarza has still to play, so may solve this issue. But then, he may also depart for the new Argentina team before long. I'd love our second marquee player to be a 5.
• 10 makes me nervous. Hook wants to play 10. The coaches seem to want to keep him there. I think he's a marvellous player. But I've never liked him at 10. Not even in the days he was competing against Stephen Jones to play there for Wales. It doesn't suit him and wastes his skills.
• The centres are a bit of a problem at the minute. Twelvetrees is out of form. Or maybe he's just not working well with Hook. Happy to wait for Twelvetrees to come back to form. 13 is a problem though. Trinder can't stay fit for 5 minutes. Purdy looks like he'll be a talent, but I'd prefer him benching at this stage. I would personally solve this by moving Hook here. But we can't afford to do that until we have a fly-half to replace Hook with. Meakes isn't up to the standard required imo. Marshall is coming, so I take it he'll play here or 15.

What I would like to see next season:

1. New loosehead
2. New hooker
3. Afoa
4. Savage
5. New lock (marquee player)
6. Evans
7. Kvesic
8. Morgan
9. Laidlaw
10. New fly-half
11. May
12. Twelvetrees
13. Hook
14. Sharples
15. Cook

16. Hibbard
17. Yann Thomas
18. New tighthead
19. Stooke/Palmer/Galarza
20. Moriarty
21. Braley/new 9
22. Marshall
23. Halaifonua/Atkinson

 

[j'nuh]

Gloucester really are determined to put together the meanest pack. Thrush has joined, and apparently we've also been in touch with a bunch of looseheads and tightheads, with some signings expected within a few weeks. My guess is that we are building strength (a good starting option) at loosehead and depth (a second-choice) at tighthead. This kind of narrows down the pool of players that the new loosehead could be (I have a few ideas of who it might end up being), although it could be anyone at tighthead. I suspect this means that Shaun Knight and one of Yann Thomas/Dan Murphy are leaving.

Savage is also apparently being seen as a 6 in the long-term, which I suspect is to open the 4 position up to Stooke (although it would then close 6 down to Moriarty!).

Very strong pack coming together (finally ).

 

[j'nuh]

So Gloucester are looking to bring in up to four new props, with PDJ understood to be "top of the hit list".

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/...Jones-return/story-25915029-detail/story.html

I don't get how you can fit 4 new props into the team. Wood, Murphy and Afoa are definitely in contract. Knight and Puafisi are only one year into their latest contracts. Are we going to have 9 props? And it's not like the future is certain with Yann either, he may still be in line for a contract extension.

Unless some of them are for the academy, I'm a little stumped. And PDJ being top of the list... really? :huh: Worrying.

 

[msf]

Hey, people I agree with...I think Atkinson is already better than Twelvetrees, in fact I think if he can displace the captain from the team then he should have a good chance of playing for England. I think he is the kind of inside centre we have been missing since Greenwood (even if he hasn't proved himself at the same level yet): a no.12 who is big enough to get over the advantage line regularly from first phase, but who can also distribute the ball very effectively. This is what Twelvetrees is supposed to do, but if you actually watch him play he either a.) throws a long pass to someone who is often marked, which doesn't really challenge the defense, or he pretends to about to do this and then sidesteps the first player and then goes to floor. Atkinson however stays alive with the ball, and this often results in him being able to make an offload to a supporting runner, thereby getting his team even further beyond the gain line.

I was really surprised to see that he was dropped for the game against London Welsh, I can only think this was Laurie Fischer's decision and not Nick Walshe's. I wasn't surprised to see him do some good stuff after he came on though, even though he wasn't playing in his best position.

 

[j'nuh]

Gloucester announced their full squad for 2015. Bold for new players, italics for academy promotions.

1. McAllister, Wood, Murphy, Yann Thomas
2. Hibbard, Lindsay, Dawidiuk
3. Afoa, Puafisi, Doran-Jones, Nicky Thomas
4. Savage, Stooke, Hicks
5. Thrush, Galarza, Hudson
6. Kalamafoni, Moriarty
7. Kvesic, Dan Thomas, Rowan
8. Morgan, Evans
9. Laidlaw, Heinz, Braley
10. Hook, Burns, Protheroe
11. May, Reynolds
12. Twelvetrees, Atkinson
13. Trinder, Meakes, Purdy
14. Sharples, Halaifonua
15. Cook, McColl, Marshall

Biggest surprise for me is that Protheroe is on a senior contract at the age of 18. They must see him as some prospect.

McAllister weighs in at 19 st 9. He'll take some stopping...

All in all, I'm quite excited to seeing how this squad gets on. Marshall and Thrush are the major additions, but I think there have also been some minor improvements to the front row too, which may give us better depth than before. Think we can crack top 6 this season.

 

[goodNumber10]

Think we can crack top 6 this season.

I reckon you will crack top 6, from the 1st week in January till the last week in January then you'll drop out of the reckoning again as Wasps shoot past waving at you

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I think Glous will miss out on the top 6 to many teams ahead of them with a more solid fountain that are building on top of it the likes of Exeter and Wasps etc.

 

[j'nuh]

Did anyone rate Walshe back when he was the U20s coach?

With him involved, our backline is an absolute mess at the minute...

 

[ratsapprentice]

He was highly rated for his two JWC ***les, but Hunter was the HC for the for the first of those.

 

[Raggs]

Whoever is doing the selection for the backs needs shooting. Pick a position for Hook and give him a run of games there, moving him to 12 after playing him at 15 last week, is ridiculous.

Hook is not a good 10, but having spent a season playing him there, he's better at it than 12. Twelvetrees (especially after he's been playing at 13!).

The backs just don't appear to have a fecking clue, and on the rare occasion it looks like they might get some ball, Heinz makes sure he kicks it away.

 

[j'nuh]

Gloucester takeover to be revealed. Martin St Quinton to stay involved (great news), Ryan Walkinshaw leaving.

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/...ver-imminent/story-28632545-detail/story.html

Most important part:
"It is understood the new owners would be capable of spending up to the salary cap, which will reach £7million in 2017-18 plus two excluded marquee players and continue to spend in line with further increases."

Bring it on.