Cherry & Whites picked apart
GLOUCESTER IN TATTERS AS STAFF DEPART
THE TURBULENCE at Gloucester continued yesterday with former England skills coach Rory Teague and second row Gerbrandt Grobler the latest to depart Kingsholm.
Grobler had a year left on his contract but having rejected the 25 per cent wage cut imposed on the squad, was free to explore options elsewhere and has been snapped up by Stade Francais.
Teague, who worked under Eddie Jones before taking charge at Bordeaux, only re-extended his Gloucester contract in January and had been running the rugby operation after the exit of director of rugby David Humphreys and head coach Johan Ackermann. But the arrival of George
Skivington as head coach has coincided with his abrupt departure.
“I would like to thank Gloucester Rugby Club for affording me the opportunity to coach at the club that I grew up supporting and have always loved,” said Teague.
“I would like to wish Gloucester Rugby and George Skivington the best of luck for the completion of the current season and beyond.
“I am confident with the squad Gloucester have, and the passionate supporters behind them, that success over the next few seasons will return to this great club.”
That may be gilding the lily. Gloucester are one of England’s great traditional clubs but after losing five consecutive league games before the Premiership shutdown there has been a worrying exodus since, with second row looking particularly thin.
Grobler’s fellow South African Franco Mostert has already left for NCC Dynamo in Japan while the squad is down to two senior specialist locks in the experienced Ed Slater and 23-year-old Alex Craig.
With the Premiership due to restart on August 14, Skivington knows he will need reinforcements
I don’t yet know players and their roles
soon, but money is tight. “We need to recruit a few more players up front and once I get a feel for the squad, the personalities, the make-up of it, the leaders within that, then it will be a lot easier to make those decisions,” said Skivington. “There are positions where we are down on numbers and we are looking at that but a lot of it will take a bit of time as I don’t know players and their roles within the squad.”
Hooker Franco Marais and ex-Springbok prop Ruan Dreyer have also left, while Italy scrum-half Callum Braley has joined Benetton, Tom Marshall and Owen Williams have gone to Japan and promising back row Aaron Hinckley has moved to Exeter.
Leicester’s Tongan international full-back Telusa Veainu has joined Stade Francais after turning down a pay cut atWelford Road.