Hudson out to put heat on Gloucester big guns
miracle man Tom Hudson starts in the No.12 jersey today at Newcastle intent on proving to head coach Johan Ackermann he is ready to be more than a squad player.
Hudson this week signed a two-year contract extention at Kingsholm completeing a remarkable turnaround after his career looked over in 2014.
Deep-seated groin problems had scuppered his chances of making it in Leicester’s academy.
Disillusioned, the then21-year-old headed for a coaching stint with Kuala Lumpur Tigers before an Asian acupuncture specialist facilitated an unlikely return to full fitness in 2016 and a second career chance at Gloucester.
Hudson, now 24, is determined to show he is more than just a bit-part player by putting his back-line versatility to good use.
He told The Rugby Paper: “I’m super-thrilled with the new contract. My previous deals had either come in March or April or been ripped up because of injury, so it’s nice to get this one done early so I can really kick on.
“It’s a huge step in my career after everything I’ve been through previously, but I don’t want to dwell on that too much now because I’m still looking up and want to take big leaps with this club and where my career is going.
“This is my third season at Gloucester and it’s great to be now viewed as a solid first team squad member. But I’d don’t want it to stop there, I’ve got two years now to nail down a place.”
Hudson added: “I’m a utility back who can play in a number of positions and it’s not just our full-back, Jason Woodward, I want to put pressure on.
“I want to try and put pressure on Billy Twelvetrees and Henry Trinder at 12 and 13 and our wingers as well. I want to keep the boys sharp and if anyone’s slightly off form or has an injury, hopefully I can cement a place.”
Gloucester head to Newcastle today aiming to banish memories of last week’s frustrating Champions Cup loss to Exeter.
Hudson added: “Last week was a massive disappointment. We put on a great representation of ourselves in winning at Exeter the previous week but we’ve made things massively hard in Europe.
“Now we’ve got a big opportunity in the Premiership to take on a great team like Newcastle and show we can be a force in this league. They want to get off the bottom and survive – but we know that makes them a very dangerous animal.”