Rees-Zammit is back for trip to Edinburgh

WALES star Louis Rees-Zammit is one of four changes to the starting line-up for Gloucester Rugby as they head north of the border to take on Edinburgh Rugby in the European Challenge Cup today, writes John Evely.

Rees-Zammit returns to the Cherry and White ranks after missing 17-10 defeat at Bath last week due to a migraine. He is in for Santi Carreras at full-back.

Elsewhere, Jamal Ford-Robinson comes in for the unavailable Mayco Vivas at loosehead and Seb Blake starts at hooker. In the back row, Jack Clement replaces Ruan Ackermann, who drops to the bench.

Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington said: It is nice to go back into Europe, and it is nice to face different opposition.

“It is always a challenge when you don’t know the lads you are playing against, although they are littered with internationals, so you have seen many of them play.

“From our point of view, we feel like we are looking like ourselves again. I think we are close and building nicely and I feel the lads who have played together over the last three weeks are getting better and better with some rugby under their belts. We are extremely frustrated, there is no getting away from it, but we have to take pride in the way we have reset.

“We are going up to Edinburgh to win, we are going full strength. We have got three weeks of games left (before the break around the Six Nations).

“We are in a different position to other teams, some sides have played the same team for the last 15 weeks and they are coming to the end of a long block, but we have only played the same team for three weeks really.

“We have got a massive couple of weeks and then another big game in the Premiership before we get a break.

“There will be plenty of players in our team who don’t want the break because it feels like they are just finding their rhythm.”

Edinburgh have picked Bristolbound Viliame ‘Bill’ Mata at number eight.

Gloucester Rugby: L Rees-Zammit; J May, C Harris, S Atkinson, O Thorley; A Hastings, C Englefield; J Ford-Robinson, S Blake, K Gotovtsev, F Clarke, M Alemanno, J Clement, L Ludlow (capt), Z Mercer.

A full programme of National League fixtures return for the first time in 2024, with Cinderford at home to Darlington, and Taunton away to Richmond in the third tier, while the pick of the National Two West matches is arguably Camborne against Clifton.