Young guns catch the eye in win over Wasps
FIVE players in Gloucester’s starting lineup made their debuts in the Premiership Rugby Cup win over Wasps with a further seven coming off the bench.
It was a first time many fans got the chance to see the latest crop of Gloucester youngsters and they all played their part in a comfortable 31-7 win.
We ran the rule over the new faces:
Alex Craig
A MIGHTILY impressive debut from the young Scottish lock.
Craig was a colossus at times, standing out with his strong carries and high work-rate.
The 21-year-old was also outstanding in the lineout, stealing Wasps ball whenever he had a sniff.
Craig, right, has impressed for Hartpury in the Championship and showed that he is on course for a bright future with Gloucester.
Cameron Terry
A DEBUT to remember for the 19-year-old who gave Gloucester the lead with the first try after eight minutes, where he was in the right place at the right time to finish from close range.
Despite being one of the youngest players on the pitch, Terry looked comfortable on the big stage, making some big tackles and being busy around the park.
This opportunity would have come along sooner than he anticipated but he grasped it with both hands.
Todd Gleave
THE hooker, who joined from London Irish in the summer, played his part in the build-up to the first try.
Gleave, 23, almost scored himself on a couple of occasions from rolling mauls but made a couple of wayward lineout throws as he struggled with the wind.
Dom Coetzer
THE young South African produced some exciting moments and capped off his Gloucester bow with a try, making the most of his opportunity when Owain James failed to hold Ben Vellacott’s chip by taking the loose ball and running in to score.
Coetzer started at inside centre before finishing the game in his favoured position at fly-half after Lloyd Evans picked up a ‘stinger’.
He showed some nice touches with the ball in hand with a couple of delightful little chips but was a bit loose at times.
There is no doubt he is an exciting talent though and is one to watch for the future.
Alex Morgan
The 18-year-old Welsh winger made some good runs, including one in the lead-up to Lloyd Evans’ try. The difficult conditions meant he didn’t get as much chance to run with the ball as he would have wanted and there was the odd handling error but he held up well defensively.
The replacements
PROPS Kyle Traynor and Jack Bartlett, lock Harry Butler, scrum-half Charlie Chapman, centre Jack Reeves and outside backs Louis Rees-zammit and Jacob Morris all came off the bench for their first Gloucester starts.
The flurry of changes interrupted the flow of the game and the wet and windy conditions made it difficult for the replacements to come on and make an impact as the game became increasingly scrappy.
Scotland international prop Traynor, who joined the club this week, was solid in the set piece and boosts Gloucester in a position where they are struggling due to injuries.
The rest were all academy players with former Scotland Under-20 Chapman getting the most game time, controlling the game well from scrumhalf after replacing Ben Vellacott.
Reeves showed flashes of his ability and Rees-zammit showed defensive qualities late on.