Gloucester honing killer instinct says Woodward
GLOUCESTER full-back Jason Woodward reckons squad depth and the discovery of a killer instinct will fire his new side into this season’s Premiership top four.
The Kingsholm outfit garnered eight losing bonus points last season – the most of any top-flight team – whilst specialising in throwing away commanding leads.
Woodward, who has arrived from relegated Bristol, told The Rugby Paper: “One thing that’s already been mentioned a few times is the ability to close games out.
“Gloucester have lacked a killer instinct and there’s a lot of disappointment amongst the boys about being up in so many games last season and not winning.
“We’ve addressed a lot of the issues and hopefully that will now be firmly put to bed.”
Woodward added: “There are times when you join a new set-up and there’s a good feeling about it. The exciting thing about Gloucester from my short time here is how much depth there is for every jersey, with so much skill and ambition on show.
“It’s been pretty amazing to be part of on my return to the area and I think we’ve definitely given ourselves the right to aim for that top four.”
Woodward made his name in Super Rugby with the Rebels and Hurricanes but spent time earlier in his career with Gloucester’s training ground partners Hartpury College.
He explained: “I came here on a player exchange at 17 and then came back for a year at Hartpury, playing alongside Jonny May, Henry Trinder and Tom Savage.
“I’ve been a fan of Gloucester for quite a few years so it will be great to pull on the jersey and the back three we’re putting together excites me.
“Jonny’s obviously been going well with England so I’m stoked for him, while we’ve got Charlie Sharples and Tom Marshall as well. I’m looking forward to getting on the field with some really talented players and achieving real success.”
After being called into England’s training camp in May, Woodward, 27, admits remaining at Bristol was never an option once relegation was confirmed.
He explained: “Coming over from Super Rugby with the Hurricanes meant I definitely wanted to be playing in the Premiership. As selfish as it sounds, I don’t think there was any point in making that move to play in division two.
“Bristol was a pretty cool team to be part of and I’ve made some friends for life, but I had to do what was right for my future career.
“Getting into the England environment was a bit of a surprise but hopefully I made the right impression. I’ve tried hard to get involved in international rugby so I’d love to get another chance by playing well at Gloucester.”