Ludlow’s backing for under-fire Skivington
» HURTING Gloucester captain Lewis Ludlow took to social media this week to reassure fans and shut down any suggestion director of rugby George Skivington has ‘lost the dressing room.’
With abuse of players and match officials highly topical at the moment following announcements from England captain Owen Farrell and referee Tom Foley that they are stepping back from the international game due to their treatment, the Cherry and Whites skipper, coaches and players have come under increasingly heated fire in recent weeks after six straight defeats in the Gallagher Premiership have seen them plummet to ninth in the table, with only winless Newcastle, who have a shadow of the squad Gloucester do, below them.
An appallingly one-sided first half at Ashton Gate on Saturday that resulted in a 51-26 defeat, saw passionate club captain Ludlow, who undoubtedly plays the game with his heart on his sleeve, follow in the footsteps of Gloucester CEO Alex Brown, in posting a message to fans this week.
Ludlow wrote on Twitter [X]: ‘Glos fans. We know the results aren’t what we want them to be and we’re not hiding from that. “The pain you guys feel with defeat hits us too!
“I’ve read a lot of comments over the last couple of weeks, some directed to me, and some to others.
“It does hurt that we currently aren’t representing you in the way that we want to, but one thing that I can assure you is that it isn’t down to lack of effort or commitment from this group. I can genuinely say that this is one of the best coaching teams I have worked with and although we’ve had a rough period we still have an honest and tight group who are fighting to turn this around.
“I’m so proud to wear this badge and captain this club, I know it’s a privilege and your support is everything. It’s a long season and good times are ahead.”
Flanker Ludlow, who has twice captained England, is one of the few senior players heading out to Georgia this weekend to take on the Black Lion in the opening round of the European Challenge Cup.
At the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, on the outskirts of Tbilisi, he will be tasked with arresting the run of defeats and sparking a revival in Gloucester’s season.