Preview – Gloucester 2021/22
Gloucester Depth Chart 2021/22
“The 50/22 certainly gives defence coaches a lot of headaches in terms of the backfield.”
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RT @gloucesterrugby: 🏡 @JackSingleton14 is staying at Kingsholm! ✍️The Cherry & Whites hooker has penned a new contract to extend his stay… -
RT @gloucesterrugby: 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲-handedly making this day better... 🤩 Another international signing up for more! 🙌 #ItsInTheBlood https://t.co…
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Season Expectation: 11th
Key Signings: Adam Hastings, Ben Meehan
The 2020/2021 season was one for Gloucester fans to forget, after winning only one premiership game in their first ten, the cherry and whites went on to finish 11th in the league with only seven wins on the season. In the last decade Gloucester fans have only seen their side reach the Top 4 once and George Skivington will hope that his squad can regain their 2018/2019 form . The new year gives Gloucester a chance to wipe the slate clean, after losing seven games last year by five points or less, the challenge for the upcoming season will be having the ability to turn close losses into wins.
Over the summer Gloucester lost a wealth of experience with the likes of Matt Banahan (Retired), Matt Garvey (Worcester) and Willi Heinz (Worcester) all departing. Given these losses of key club figures, it’s surprising how few additions Gloucester have made to the squad in the off season. George Skivington will need to have confidence that talented youngsters such as Lloyd Evans and Charlie Chapman can step up and help push Gloucester into the top half of the table.
Whilst there haven’t been as many additions as Gloucester fans had hoped for, the statement signing of Adam Hastings (Glasgow) has filled the ‘creative playmaker’ sized hole left since Danny Cipriani left Kingsholm at the end of 2020. The Scottish International will join a backline littered with international talent, if Gloucester’s forward pack are able to provide Hastings with quality front foot ball, they will have one of the best attacking records in the premiership this season. The thought of Hastings, Harris, Rees-Zammit and May all operating in the same back line is a nightmare for opposition defences. Hastings’ ability to exploit space with the boot will be crucial for Gloucester this year. Whilst Billy Twelvetrees has been a long servant to the club, his kicking abilities are underwhelming to say the least. Hastings kicking intelligence is world class, he has the skill to put short kicks in behind the defensive line as well as accurate deep kicks into the corner. This kicking game will be invaluable for a forward pack who for the most part were on the back foot last season.
Gloucester’s path to success will be through their attacking threats out wide, with Jonny May and Louis Rees-Zammit both having lightning quick pace combined with world class finishing abilities, getting them the ball in space will take Gloucester a long way to winning games. With Hastings coming in at fly half, he will have no problem providing quality ball out wide, his passing and kicking quality has the ability to commit defenders towards the ball and keep them from drifting wide early. So with Gloucester now having a fly half with exceptional playmaking skills, the onus will be on the forwards to ‘win the collision’ and provide Hastings with quick, front foot ball to unlock the magic on the wings.
However, my concern for Gloucester this season is depth, with the likes of Louis Rees Zammit, Jonny May, Adam Hastings and Chris Harris all highly likely to miss a number of games this year due to international commitments, my question is where have Gloucester improved their squad to replace them? Adam Hastings joining the club is a marquee signing, but with his presumable involvement in the November tests and Scotland’s Six Nations campaign Gloucester will have to rely on Lloyd Evans or Billy Twelvetrees to take the reigns at fly half, which based off of last season will not have Gloucester fighting for a top six spot. George Skivington’s strongest XV is certainly good enough to be in playoff contention, however the number of players that are likely to be missing throughout large portions of the year mean that the Cherry & Whites will need others to step up in key positions.