Skivington playing the long game

GEORGE Skivington says he is hoping for a long and packed end to the 2021/22 season because that will mean his Gloucester Rugby side are still fighting on three fronts.

On Saturday, the Cherry and Whites booked a home quarterfinal in the European Challenge Cup against Saracens, but the big games keep coming.

Play-off hunting Gloucester are away at Bristol Bears in the Gallagher Premiership tomorrow (Friday) night and then Worcester Warriors come to Kingsholm in the semi-final of the Premiership Rugby Cup on Wednesday night.

For Skivington and his squad, it is essentially knockout rugby from here until the end of the season to stay in contention in all three competitions.

The Gloucester head coach said: “I’ve got to select what’s best week-to-week. I’m not feeling pressure myself because it’s a good group. Last year I backed them just like I do now. We haven’t really changed anything we’re doing, but we’ve got better at playing rugby, that’s for sure.

“They’re a tight-knit working group that goes week to week, and we’re going to continue to do that.

“Myself and the coaches will chat through selection and what we’ll do, but in these next couple of weeks we’ll know if we’re in or out. We’ve got through to the quarter-final, but you lose a couple of Prem games and you’re out the Prem fight, you lose the Prem Rugby Cup semi-final and you’re out the final, so it could be a long season or a very quick season, depending on how it goes. I’m not very worried about planning too far ahead.”

Gloucester got the better of

Bristol earlier this season, winning 27-10 at home, but were on the end of a 39-7 hammering at Ashton Gate in May last year. However, the change in fortunes of the two sides is marked, with last season’s table-toppers Bristol in the doldrums in 10th in the table while the Cherry and Whites sit in fifth place approaching the business end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Despite Bristol’s shaky form, Skivington remains wary of a squad packed with talent like Charles Piutau, Semi Radradra and Kyle Sinckler.

Speaking after the win over Saints, he said: “We have to manage this week well. Bristol are a dangerous team, they have some extremely good players, big hitters, but we know that so we’ve got to try and keep improving our game and negate Bristol.”