Skivington vows to continue love affair with maul after Gloucester’s power prevails
Gloucester 29-20
They may have one of the fastest tracks in the Premiership, and two of the most deadly finishers in world rugby on their flanks, but the thing that is most exciting Gloucester head coach George Skivington is the way his side are going back to their roots.
Jonny May and Louis Rees-zammit
may not have been given the chance to get up a head of steam on Kingsholm’s new all-weather surface, but the moment the forwards got a sniff of the Newcastle try-line they knew what to do.
The Shed roared its approval and there were smiles all round when Val Rapava-ruskin splintered off a rolling maul to score the try that helped his side build up a 16-point lead.
“We’ve been working on our rolling maul for 15 months. Before I came in Gloucester didn’t have a rolling maul,” said Skivington. “We were quite good last year, but we have developed it since then.
“I fell in love with the maul when I was playing at Leicester. We know how this place was 20 years ago – you could come to Kingsholm and try to stop the maul and the scrum and you simply couldn’t. That’s something we want to bring back.
“It’s very special when the crowd give them a roar when they go over.”
Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards was unhappy that once again his team had fallen on the wrong side of the referee. Wayne Barnes blew for 15 penalties against them, giving Lloyd Evans the chance to kick five goals.
“At two tries apiece, and with 54 per cent possession and 62 per cent of territory, we should have won the game. That’s the second time this season we’ve come a cropper with the referee,” Richards said.
The Falcons flew at the home defence and became a bit too onedimensional in their approach. Carl Fearns, who has history with a club that once sought his services, took to Twitter after the game to warn the Gloucester faithful to calm down. “One win and you all think you’re world-beaters. Enjoy the inevitable ninth place,” he wrote.
Cue the inevitable response!