Gloucester Rugby’s Jamal Ford-Robinson is relishing the prospect of derby day at Kingsholm on Friday night when the Cherry & Whites welcome Bath Rugby in the Gallagher Premiership.

“I think similar to the last game, it’s a big occasion, so it’s not a hard game to get motivated for.

“A sell-out at Kingsholm and one of the biggest derbies in rugby, it won’t be hard to get up for emotionally but it’s combining that emotion with executing our game plan and knowing we’ve got the right processes in place to put in a good performance.”

The prop knows how much the derby means to the supporters too.

“We always try and represent the supporters every time we go out and we know how much it means to everyone involved in the club so that’s always a big factor.

“We’re still fighting to get into the Champions Cup for next season so as well as doing it for the fans, there are also crucial points on the line too.”

With three tricky fixtures left, Ford-Robinson says it’s going to be tough, but they’re the ones he looks forward to most.

“It’s going to an interesting one for sure, Sale have been good all season and Bath and Bristol have found some form, so it’s by no means an easy run-in.

“It’ll be tough but that’s what we’re here to do.

“Part of loving the game is the ups and downs and those tough battles. Two derbies and the second-place team are all big fixtures and ones that we’re massively looking forward to.

A fortnight ago, the Cherry & Whites were knocked out of the Champions Cup by reigning champions, La Rochelle, but Ford-Robinson says they can take confidence from their performance in France.

“It was a narrow defeat, but we stuck to our game plan well.

“The fact we came up with a plan, executed it really well and one of the best club sides in the world took until the last minute to break us down, we can use that confidence in these last few games.

“The mood is never really negative, it’s always a positive vibe around the place. Obviously, it drops a bit when you drop a couple of games, but it picks up when you have weeks like last week, knowing what we can do against a top side.

"It showed we are a really good team; we need to be more consistent.”

Ford-Robinson says Euro performance can give Gloucester confidence

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