Bring fear factor back to Kingsholm

TONIGHT the new Aviva Premiership season will be launched at Kingsholm (15 minutes ahead of Newcastle’s opener against Sale at Kingston Park), as Gloucester start their league campaign at home against Leicester.

This is a classic fixture and should be an occasion awash with primal ferocity and civic pride, but that will only be the case if David Humphreys’ side reclaim their club’s lost heritage.

For so long, Kingsholm was a place which would instil terror in the hearts of visitors. The impression was of a team and a town uniting to see off all- comers, with a potent blend of savage physicality on the pitch and raucous noise from the Shed and all around.

In recent years, the old fire and fury has been lost. What was once a fortress has become an increasingly hospitable venue for outsiders. Enough of that.

A strong and revived Gloucester would enhance the whole league, not that the Tigers will want to encounter such a proposition tonight. If the sparks fly, we will know that the natural order has been restored. IRELAND’S ‘project player’ system of signing overseas talent to qualify on residency and swear artificial allegiance may be on the brink of a malfunction. Praise be. New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki — who also qualifies for Samoa — has given an interesting take on the thorny issue of national identity, after a starring role in Connacht’s shock Pro12 triumph last season. Asked if he feels Irish, he said: ‘I’ve enjoyed Irish culture, but it’s wrong for me to say that I’m Irish. It’s wrong for me to take away from the guys who were born here and want to play for Ireland. I’m just here and my ambition is to play international rugby.’ His words should force World Rugby to extend the current three-year residency qualification period, to stop the cynical manipulation of the regulations which is undermining the whole concept of international sport.