The Cherry & Whites conclude their 2022/23 season with a short trip to Bristol Bears on Saturday afternoon.

Head Coach, George Skivington, says his side will have to expect the unexpected against a dangerous Bears team.

“Bristol are a really hard team to analyse because they have some rockstars like Piutau and Radradra, who you know will produce things that are unexpected. So, we have to be mentally very switched on.

“You can train as well as you can but ultimately you have to be alert on the day because they will do special things.”

Bristol currently occupy the final Champions Cup qualification spot for next season, but the Cherry & Whites could snatch it with a win on Saturday. After some memorable games in that competition this season, the importance of qualifying isn’t lost on Skivington.

“It’s one of the few games in the league with something riding on it at this stage of the season. We’re aware we’re playing for Champions Cup rugby and it’s a local derby so there’s lots on the line this weekend.”

Last time out, Gloucester Rugby took second-placed Sale Sharks all the way at Kingsholm in their final home match of the season.

Despite a positive performance against a top team, Skivington felt poor execution in key moments probably cost them a win.

“It was a fierce contest. Sale are a very good team and have been all year.

“I thought our attack was brilliant in that game, we had 11 line breaks which is high for the Premiership, the important thing is that we need to finish those off which has been the story of our season.

“Overall, the physicality in defence against a big team was outstanding, as was the bravery in the attack, but we left two tries out there and gave them two easy tries that cost the game. So, there’s plenty to work on.”

The game against Sale saw two of Gloucester’s key figures return from long-term injuries. Skivington was happy to see hooker, George McGuigan and fly-half, Adam Hastings back on the field.

“It was great to get a couple of numbers back, it gave us a bit of energy and you can see the intensity in training going up.

“It’s a credit to our medical and conditioning staff because they looked like they hadn’t been away.”

Last week, Steve Varney became the latest Cherry & White to commit to the club for our 150th anniversary season next year.

Skivington, who has been a fan of Varney since taking over in 2019, is delighted to retain his services.

“Steve’s been brilliant, when I came in, I gave him a lot of game time because I could see the potential in him.

“He’s got his raw skills in his speed and his vision, but he’s worked really hard on his all-round game and he's transferred that into the international stage as well.

“He’s another player that can still improve and where his ceiling is we won’t know yet. So, I’m pleased he’s decided to stay.”

Varney, like a handful of other players, will be hoping to play an important role for his country at the upcoming Rugby World Cup, but Skivington says the players are fully concentrated on ending their domestic season on a high this weekend.

“I don’t think anyone’s thinking too much in the future, it’s important we keep pushing on everything we worked hard on this season, and we want to finish with a good positive performance and a win.

“We’ve not had the season we wanted and we’re not shying away from that at all, but we want to show how focussed we are on putting in a big performance in our last game.”

Finally, as the season draws to a close in both the Premiership and Championship, Skivington thanked Championship side Hartpury for their help giving some of the younger members of the squad game time this season.

“We’ve got a really good relationship with Hartpury, and we’ve had a lot of lads play a lot of minutes for them this year. They’ve had a really strong push at the end of the season too.

“So, they’ve had a good season and the boys who have got some game time for them have enjoyed playing some regular rugby and developing with them.”

Skivington looks to end the season on a high with derby win

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