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Rugby writer Jack Tozer takes a closer look at the individual performances from the Gloucester Rugby players
Gloucester Rugby were beaten 30-21 by Saracens at Kingsholm on Saturday in Round Eight of the Gallagher PREM.
Despite Gloucester’s locks Freddie Thomas and Arthur Clark getting on the scoresheet. It was Saracens’ afternoon as Theo dan, Theo MacFarland at the double and captain Ivan Van Zyl were the scorers in a performance that abruptly disrupted the festive mood at a sold-out Kingsholm.
15 Charlie Atkinson – 5
Gloucester’s entire backline struggled to offer a prolonged period of excitement in the game, with the inability to convert the chances that they found hard to create, meaning players like Atkinson had a much quieter gams than a sold-out Kingsholm would’ve hoped for. A key moment in his performance was his decision to kick the ball through rather than exploit an overlap in the first half, highlighting how the Gloucester players often sang from different hymn sheets.
14 Ben Loader – N/A
Taken off with a hamstring injury after a quarter of an hour.
13 Will Butler – N/A
Was taken off for a HIA after 4 minutes and didn’t return.
12 Seb Atkinson – 6
Was tasked with hitting up through the middle for Gloucester as a result of their lack of creativity, and was treated as a sacrificial lamb amongst a lost Gloucester herd as he was met by a stern wall of Saracens defenders.
11 Ollie Thorley – 6
A show and go from just inside his own half in the second half took the winger within five meters of the Sarries line, which gave the home crowd something to get behind.
10 Ross Byrne – 5
Gloucester’s possession was limited for the majority of the match, especially in the second half. That resulted in a quiet game for the outside half. With the boot, it was a contrasting story as he successfully kicked his two conversion attempts. His kicking out of hand was a struggle, though, as he lost the battle with the wind in the second half, which cut his kicking distance down.
9 Tomos Williams – 5
The scrum half showcased his unmatched basketball skills once more in the lead up to Arthur Clark’s try as he dispatched another seemingly impossible offload to set up the second rower for Gloucester’s second score. The Kingsholm crowd will certainly miss moments of magic like that from the scrum half. However, he was a shadow of what we’ve grown to expect of him during his second half. A dead leg seemed to be the issue in the second 40, which occurred in the build-up to MacFarland’s try that saw him beat the scrum half in the air in the corner. From then onwards, Williams hobbled about before being replaced by Austin with less than ten minutes to go.
1 Val Rapava-Ruskin – 5
Rapava-Ruskin was disruptive at scrum time, but not always positively, as the prop did concede a couple of penalties as a result.
2 Jack Innard – 5
Lineouts seem to be an area of real struggle for any of Gloucester’s hooker options as of late. With a few going wayward once more. However, he often put himself about in open play.
3 Afo Fasogbon – 5
4 Freddie Thomas – 5
Was in the right place at the right time and to take the ball nicely off a tip line to score Gloucester’s opening score.
5 Arthur Clark – 6
The second rower was busy around the park, with one notable inclusion being a charge down that was unfortunate to dribble its way dead. He was also the first to react to Williams’ snipe around the blind side to be on the receiving end of his wonder pass to score Gloucester’s second.
6 James Venter – 4
Replaced on the 54th minute mark after failing to make a real impact on his first game back from injury.
7 Lewis Ludlow – 6
The openside produced a great effort to deny Sarries captain Van Zyl the first try of the game in the corner and he always seemed to be at the heart of collisions and breakdowns. The ex-captain played with the pride we know he’s overridden with every time he wears a cherry and white jersey.
8 Jack Clement – 5
A few half breaks were the most notable contributions in his performance. It was a difficult night to stand out if you were a Gloucester player.
Replacements
16 George Knowles – n/a
17 Ciaran Knight – 5
18 Jamal Ford-Robinson – 5
19 Cam Jordan – 4
20 Harry Taylor – n/a
21 Mikey Austin – 5
22 Will Knight – 6
With the Gloucester backs really struggling for chances, the young centre got his side a consolation try at the death with a sharp finish.
23 Josh Hathaway – 4
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