Ollie Thorley’s length of the field break against Montpellier helped create the momentum that saw Gloucester Rugby ease to a 29-6 win over the French side and saw him win the 1873 Club Outstanding Moment.

Following the game Ollie came into the Abbey Business Lounge alongside team mate Lewis Ludlow, and took part in the post match Q&A for 1873 Club Members, hosted by former Gloucester back row forward Simon Devereux.

Ollie was then presented with the award by Devs, who provided the following summary of the game.

“This was an uplifting and abrasive performance where the second half forward effort overwhelmed Montpellier. Following the Bath win at Kingsholm last week, Gloucester again registered a bonus point victory with no tries conceded. In many ways the match was similar to last week where Gloucester found a way to overcome a slow start and finish impressively.

“The first half hour proved frustrating as Gloucester seemed to play too much rugby in their own half in testing weather conditions. Montpellier were quick to shutdown space out wide as Gloucester attempted to launch their familiar runners in behind approach, and as a result Gloucester struggled for any continuity. Two good early attacking lineouts were also lost in this period.

“Gloucester’s scrum was strong against a big French pack and their lineout improved significantly as the match wore on. Louis Rees-Zammit provided the spark needed to get Gloucester off the mark, cutting an intelligent line and again showing good awareness of support runners for Willi Heinz to score. Gloucester had a good ten minutes to close out the half.

“Ollie Thorley’s length of the field break from the restart set the tone for the second half. Gloucester’s pack dominated the opposition with strong ball carrying and crucially their lineout was excellent, with the combination of Todd Gleave, Lewis Ludlow and Gerbrandt Grobler especially, working well near the opposition line.

“This ball retention and pressure enabled by the Gloucester lineout functioning well was rewarded by two scores from the forwards. Prior to this, Louis Rees-Zammit showed instinctive finishing to dive into the corner after sharp handling by Jason Woodward.

“There was a real buzz around Kingsholm at the end following such a big second half effort where the pack were ruthless. The inexperienced front row pair of Gleave and Ciaran Knight surpassed a stern test against a big pack, demonstrating Gloucester’s growing strength in depth. An exciting opportunity and character test awaits the squad away to Toulouse next week, with a chance of quarter-final qualification!”

Ollie Thorley wins the 1873 Club Outstanding Moment at the Montpellier game

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