Savage: Cure travel bug and we’ll soar
SOLVING Gloucester’s abysmal away record holds the key to challenging for a Premiership play-off place, according to lock Tom Savage.
At Kingsholm, Gloucester have looked imperious, winning all three league matches and seeing off champions Exeter and titlechasing Northampton along the way.
Away from their fortress, however, they have been soundly beaten by Harlequins, Leicester and Sale, conceding 14 tries, 109 points and failing to garner a point.
Savage, right, told The Rugby Paper: “It seems a massive call to make but our results against Exeter and Northampton prove we are able to compete against the best teams in the league.
“We know we are capable of being a top-four side but Sale, where we lost 57-10, was an awful night all round and we’re working very hard to address those issues.
“We have a lot of work to do away from home and it’s about how you react to the crowd, referee and other things you may not experience at home. We’ve got to put all those things out of our minds and, when we do, we’ll be a very hard team to beat.”
Gloucester are well placed for an assault on the top four and Savage has been impressed by the impact made by new head coach Johan Ackermann.
He said: “Johan’s been influential from the off and he’s been very good around the boys and is a real people’s person who’s already earned a lot of respect.
“Rugby-wise, he’s all about making sure we run the ball at every opportunity and he’s given us licence to spot gaps and play with our heads up. You have to adapt to circumstances but we’re finding a good balance between running and kicking.”
Also crucial to a Gloucester revival is keeping gifted centre Henry Trinder fit.
Savage added: “Everybody knows how good Trinder is; he’s got all the skills and is one of the best rugby brains in England in that centre position. He’s showing international form and that’s a real positive for us as we look to build our league season.”