And it’s time to start reflecting on what could have been.
With one game to go, against Saints at home, Gloucester have missed out on any prizes this season. Their final placing is likely to be 8th. The last four seasons have seen us 9th, 9th, 5th & 9th. It’s a long time since 2008…..not that our season ended in glory that year either.
This season was supposed to be different. Top coaches, new signings, All Blacks. All bedded in after a frenetic season last year. A long pre-season to iron out any flaws. Yes, there were warnings about an intense season caused by the RWC but that affected every team. Yes there were losses of key players during internationals but, again, everyone was affected at the same time.
So what went wrong at Gloucester, this proud West Country club with it’s renowned fans and our Shed, so feared amongst opposition teams. Certainly our Forward 8 have been in the ascendant this season. A pack that includes the likes of Afoa, Hibbard, Thrush, Kvesic, Moriarty, Savage & Kalamafoni is not going to spend much of it’s time going backwards; although a little more consistency from the refs in this set piece would be appreciated. The Shed has appreciated a return to use of a strong forward platform, something Kingsholm has usually excelled at and missed recently since the loss of James and Hamilton as our Enforcers.
Our back line has suffered through injury, including, at one time, playing three Full Backs at the same time and it could be argued that an average score of 1.6 tries per game is a tad sparse in the attacking department, especially when you see that a Full Back has out-tried both starting Wings.
With 46 penalties scored against us I don’t even think this is our problem as we have scored 65 in response, 141% better. Although it would be good not to give away so many.
Certainly Gloucester have proven we can go head to head with the very best in Europe and beat them and beat them well. Wasps & Chiefs, for example, but also the recent away win at the AJ Bell against a side unbeaten at home all season with what can only be described as a scratch team….We CAN do it. We can rise to the big challenges.
So why are we 8th? Simple……Two home games. Sarries & Tigers.
Two games we lost by 2 & 1 point respectively. Two games that were ours for the taking and, if we had done, would have meant that we would now have an additional 6 points. Joint 6th with Quins and challenging Saints for 5th with our last home game of the season in front of what would undoubtedly be a capacity crowd. Other factors were the losses against Saints, Chiefs, Sarries & Warriors away. All lost by a margin of between 8 & 12 points. All could have earned us a LBP with a single score. And then, of course, that tragic run of defeats in March & April which soured our season so badly. Three Premiership games on the trot lost by 5 points, a single score.
Five games lost by a single score. Four LBPs that could have been had. Win anyone of those five lost games. and earn LBPs in those four matches and……….? The outcome could have been so different. And that, I think, is the issue. Our difficulty in closing out the close contests. Our difficulty in believing in ourselves despite the evidence of just how good we are. And I don’t say that lightly.
On a filthy night in January Gloucester went to Sandy Park to take on the Chiefs. These are always wonderful matches. Having made 3 early errors that Chiefs capitalised on in the first quarter Chiefs didn’t score another point on home ground for 60 minutes. Gloucester put on 10 unanswered points and were pressuring all over the pitch…..and bear in mind Chiefs have only lost once at home this season, to Sarries.
Having suffered what might be one of our worst defeats, 23-3, at The Ricoh in November, and Wasps being seemingly unstoppable, they came to Kingsholm in early March almost certainly with one eye on their next fixture against Tigers, a normally ferocious derby. What they hadn’t foreseen was a well versed Gloucester ruin their game plan with a strategy that denied them any ball (except one slight slip that Wade made us pay for, as is usual of this mercurial wing).
So, picking over the bones of a dry season, what do we see? An improved defence in the last ten games (2.27 ave tries against in the first 10, 1.6 in the 2nd) but try scoring is a steady 1.6 average. Five games lost by a single score and no improvement in the number of tries scored on average over the whole season…….So it’s farewell to our attack coach, Nick Walshe. And in an unforgiving environment our 1.6 average HAS to improve next season and those 5 single score games have to be won. And those lost by a margin between 8 & 12 have to be lost by no more than 7. And if that happens we are looking at top four. We would be looking at Champions Cup Rugby, Play Offs and an extra 2000 to 3000 attendance at every home game as well as TV most home games.
That means playing our strongest side (within rotation limits) every week. Not a side determined by EQP status to chase some minor bonus (and with a turnover of £25m+ less than £1m is a minor bonus). Gloucester have around 60% of players as EQP status but certain players have to be considered more valuable than others, whether we like it or not. Thrushy, Laidlaw and Marshall are all leaders on the pitch. Moriarty, Kalamafoni & Afoa are surely always first options on the team sheet. There’s 6 players immediately. Count in Hooky & Hibbsy and you’re on an 8 count.
With Champions Cup games and play offs as well as additional revenue through the gate and advertising the EQP bonus is small beans. So St Quinton needs to think long and hard. Will he chase pennies or glory.
winnyssite 