Home win, if only you could bottle it

Gloucester 29 – 24 Northampton

After an embarrassing defeat away to Sale Sharks the previous week, a number of supporters appeared to be dreading the arrival of the league leaders at Kingsholm. With no sign of the injury crisis that has afflicted the squad abating, Johan Ackermann was forced to make a very late change to the starting line-up as Ed Slater suffered a dislocated finger in the warm-up. His replacement, Jeremy Thrush had commented in the press conferences in the week that he was focused on improving the stuttering lineout that has plagued the Cherry and Whites this season.

Certainly when he is in the team, generally the set-piece does perform better however it is frustrating that the weakness in the scrum (which appears to have been fixed) has now been replaced by one in the lineout. Too often this season, Gloucester have found themselves in good positions only to turn over the ball – sometimes under no defensive pressure from the opposition.

Northampton arrived at Kingsholm buoyant after 4 consecutive victories. Their opening game defeat to Saracens apparently overcome and now looking once again like playoff contenders. A revived George North, Luther Burrell and Harry Mallinder, all big ball carriers with pace and guile were probably not the opposition Ackermann would like to have seen following the previous weeks demolition. But Gloucester have their own threats, particularly in Henry Trinder, who now free of injury is beginning to show his undoubted talent. Hopefully for the centre, he will remain fit and healthy and continue is form which must be attracting the attention of Eddie Jones.

It was Trinder who opened the scoring, following a blindside move off a scrum. Gloucester have looked dangerous all season with ball in hand, but on so many occasions have found ways to lose the ball with the line beckoning. True to form, a knock on at a breakdown resulted in a Northampton attack from their own line and only an unfortunate bounce of the ball prevented George North scoring a contender for Try of the Season. The scores were levelled soon after anyway and much of the first half followed a pattern of errors from both sides. Gloucester led into half time following a second Trinder try, but his poor kick and a missed tackle by Henry Purdy gave Mallinder his opportunity to score.

It does appear that Gloucester are a different team when at home, if the coaching staff can work out how to bottle the intensity and desire the side show at Kingsholm and bring it their away performances there will be a real opportunity to reach the top 4, not just the top 6. Henry Trinder was having the game of his life and it was his athleticism and skill that started another move and eventual score as he claimed an Owen Williams restart. Williams in his first home start was often excellent with ball in hand but looked nervous over the kicking tee. It appeared he was trying to hit the ball too hard and skewed his first 3 attempts at goal. When he did finally add the extra two points after Billy Twelvetrees had secured a try bonus point, the home supporters cheered with a hint of sarcasm.

Soon afterwards, Captain Willie Heinz added a fifth try capping his own excellent performance. Under the previous management Heinz attracted his fair share of comment and criticism from supporters. Clearly however, the other members of the squad and the coaching team value his contribution and when playing like this he is a fantastic asset to the club. A section of the supporters will never warm to him, preferring a more exciting style epitomised by Ben Vellacott. However the need for a cool head and someone who is able to play the percentages may in these early stages of the Ackermann revolution be vital. Vellacott’s energy and pace is very useful when defences are tiring and his pass is probably the best of all the clubs number 9’s however he is still inexperienced and will need time to learn where and when to make a break, kick or take the safer option.

The final few minutes were once again tense as Northampton fought back and Williams’ earlier missed kicks meant the Saints were only one unconverted try from levelling. Fortunately for Gloucester, referee Wayne Barnes spotted accidental offside at a lineout and the home side claimed their third win of the season.

Northampton had come as leaders but didn’t perform as such. Too many errors and unable to put pressure on the Gloucester pack meant that their opportunities were generated from mistakes rather than sustained pressure. They undoubtedly have some excellent players and the acquisition of South African scrum half Cobus Reinach looks very shrewd. Harry Mallinder is also a player who offers so much but it was noticeable when Stephen Myler entered the fray, the Saints played with a little more purpose and poise. Very much like Gloucester, they are a side capable of brilliant performances one week and abject the other, but if the Cherry and Whites finish above them at the end of the season one would assume that the minimum expectation of a top 6 finish will have been met.

We need to talk about Rob Andrew

Unlike my other blogs, the opening part of my musing this week is a personal view on an individual who certainly divides opinion within the game and solicits very strong feeling among Gloucester supporters. Rob Andrew.

Once a star of the English game, he provided me with one of my first great memories of International rugby when he slotted a long range drop goal to beat Australia in the Quarter final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Alongside Will Carling, he represented a modern and forward thinking approach to Rugby Union. However unlike Carling who found himself isolated to a certain extant following his infamous ’57 Old Farts’ comment, Rob Andrew was one of the vanguard to grab the opportunities of professionalism in the mid 1990’s with both hands.

Sir John Hall took him to Newcastle following the 1995 World Cup and led them into the top flight and then on to win the inaugural Premiership in 1998 as a Player/Director of Rugby. Andrew presided over a side that included Inga Tuigamala, Doddie Wier, Alan Tate, Tony Underwood, Dean Ryan and a very young Jonny Wilkinson. They played an exciting brand of rugby and were unbeaten until March. The Falcons would never really reach the same heights again. Sir John Hall sold the club the following year as the financial realities of Professionalism began to set in but Rob Andrew continued at the helm winning the Powergen Cup in 2001 and again in 2004. He would move on to join the RFU in 2006 but before he did increasingly it was off the field comments that began to dominate the headlines. Never more so than a bizarre incident that took place after a narrow defeat to Gloucester, at Kingsholm, in the 2001/2002 season.

An ugly exchange involving Olivier Azam and Epi Tiaone which resulted in both being given a red card was turned into a full blown race row by Rob Andrew, claiming he had heard racial abuse directed at Tiaone not only by Azam but by a section of supporters in the Grandstand. Gloucester and Azam immediately rejected the accusations and the French hooker threatened libel proceedings, while the now defunct Gloucester Rugby Supporters Association also made moves to sue for defamation. Meanwhile former owner Tom Walkinshaw banned the Falcons Director of Rugby from Kingsholm until an apology was provided. Eventually one was given, although when reading back over the text from the joint statement made by both clubs, it is hardly a forthright one.

"Although the remarks were made in good faith based on statements made to Rob Andrew before the press conference, he now accepts that there was insufficient evidence to justify the remarks," a joint Gloucester-Newcastle statement said.

"With regard to Gloucester supporters, Rob Andrew accepts that only one Gloucester supporter made comments of an inappropriate nature.

"With regard to Olivier Azam, Rob Andrew accepts that it was never the case that Olivier Azam was alleged by Epi Taione to have made more than one racist remark.

"Mr Andrew apologises to Olivier Azam and to Gloucester supporters for any offence caused to them by these comments.”

I met Rob Andrew in 2014 at an event to mark one year before the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final. I was introduced to him and I found him to be quite likeable but did notice he became a little ‘standoffish’ when I mentioned I was a Gloucester supporter. I didn’t mention the incident or the ban or even his subsequent apology. It took all of my strength not to regale the others in the group stood around me of how I, along with 11,000 others chanted “Are you watching Rob Andrew?” to the tune of Bread of Heaven when Newcastle visited Kingsholm in the Zurich Playoffs.

He was, at the time, the RFU’s Director of Professional Rugby – not directly responsible for anything to do with the England National side, yet he did have a great deal of influence within the organisation having previously appointed the then Head coach, Stuart Lancaster.

It was the appointment of Lancaster and the subsequent debacle of England’s world cup exit at the group stages in 2015 that has attracted much attention over the past week. Rob Andrew has written and released book. Often the best way to create interest is to find something controversial to write about and milk it for all its worth in the public eye. In this case, the decision by Stuart Lancaster, the other coaches and ultimately the RFU to fund the signing of Rugby League star Sam Burgess.

 From the outset the decision seemed flawed. Unlike Jason Robinson or Chris Ashton who quickly and successfully converted Rugby codes from Wing to Wing, Burgess was always going to struggle. Firstly as a Rugby League ‘Forward’ there was no direct comparison in playing positions. People at the time pointed to Sonny Bill Williams and his success, but he is probably the most talented Rugby player of his generation, surrounded by an All Black team who are the arguably the greatest of all time and more importantly was given plenty of time to develop his Union game. Burgess was given one year, playing for a Bath team who couldn’t decide his best position – Centre or Back row and was ushered into the England squad for the World Cup, overtaking a number of players who had, up until that point, done relatively well.

Rob Andrew has laid much of the blame for the early World Cup exit at the feet of Stuart Lancaster, highlighting the Burgess affair as an example of the problems and issues that blighted the campaign. To an extant I agree with him. Eddie Jones, with much of the same squad has led England to a record unbeaten run, won two 6 Nation titles including a Grand Slam and played exciting and attractive rugby. But some of the blame has to be shared with Rob Andrew too. He chose Lancaster, he also chose his predecessor, Martin Johnson, who suffered from a relative dearth of World Class talent – certainly compared to Eddie Jones’ riches – and ill-discipline on and off the field. Two coaches, picked by Andrew who failed at successive tournaments.

A major criticism often levelled at Rob Andrew is that it was difficult to quantify what he actually did. There was always a suspicion of meddling or interference from above, and as someone who seemed to avoid any sanction when things went wrong, all while other were sacked or replaced did nothing to negate a sense he was somehow untouchable. Maybe some were jealous of his influence and power, but the general antipathy towards him suggests otherwise. His comments and book come at a time where English rugby is on a high. It appears under Eddie Jones that lessons were learnt quickly and if the squad and International set-up continue on their current trajectory, they should be challenging New Zealand in 2019. Other than increasing sales, what he hopes to achieve (if anything) is unclear.

Rob Andrew was an excellent player for Wasps, Newcastle and England and in the early days of Professionalism a good Director of Rugby. He is undoubtedly a strong personality whose voice definitely has a place in the modern game. He is one of the few people to see the full transition from Amateur to Professional with an in depth knowledge of the inner workings of the RFU and the club boardrooms but unfortunately he has always struggled to be likeable. This is probably his biggest failing. He seems to rub people up the wrong way, appear self-serving or disingenuous. I have no doubt that this is unfair, but perception is crucial and maybe in this case – when trying to sell a book – it may actually come in handy.

Sale review (including the all important Statistics) and Northampton preview

Over the past few years, football has increasingly become a game of statistics. Percentage points of possession, territory, shots on goals, completed passes have become nearly as important as the only statistic that really matters. The score line.

Rugby has followed this trend to some degree and whenever one watches matches on TV, you are bombarded by statistical analysis. Scrums, Lineouts, line breaks, tackles (made and missed), how many times the fly half kicked or passed are all now shown on screen. But like football, the most important stat is the one in the top left hand corner.

SALE		GLOUCESTER
34%	Possession	64%
33%	Territory	67%
204 out of 229 (89%)	Tackles (% made)	85 out of 110 (77%)
10	Penalties conceded	4
15	Turnovers conceded	16
6 out of 6 (100%)	Lineouts won	13 out of 19 (68%)
2 out of 2 (100%)	Scrums won	5 out of 5 (100%)
75 out of 78 (96%)	Rucks won	158 out of 159 (99%)
0 out of 0	Mauls won	3 out of 3 (100%)
16	Clean Breaks	15
25	Defenders beaten	25
7	Offloads	12

Sale Sharks 57 – 10 Gloucester

A casual glance at the table above without knowing the result would probably suggest that it was a close game possibly edged by Gloucester. Unfortunately for the few hardy souls who travelled to the Northwest last Friday it wasn’t the case. The Cherry and Whites somehow contrived to gift try after try to a Sale team who had previously looked vulnerable and had started the season pretty poorly.

Simply passing and catching a rugby ball appeared to be too much for the Gloucester side at times. Consistently getting into fantastic areas, only to lose the ball in contact or have it intercepted. Time after time lineout ball in the opposition 22 was squandered but rather than change tact and go for points, every penalty awarded ended in a similar result.

Injuries to key players have robbed Gloucester of their strongest line-up for much of the season. Charlie Sharples is now out until the New Year, Matt Scott, Ross Moriarty and Fraser Balmain are also likely to be some way off returning. But this result was not down to missing players, but simply put poor play, poor decision making and poor skill. There is no doubt the players are trying, but this is the third occasion where some on the field seemed to have left their brains in the changing room. The solutions aren’t easy. Some members of the squad are going to have to drastically improve their performances to retain their place. Johann Ackermann knew he had a tough job on his hands before the season started and the excitement and delirium that accompanied the opening weekend win against the Champions is now being replaced with the grim reality that Gloucester are still an inconsistent side who make too many errors.

Gloucester are creating lots of chances but currently lack the patience and ability to turn these into points. What is particularly galling at the moment, is seeing how well departed winger Jonny May is doing at his new club, Leicester. 5 tries already this season, for a team who are not controlling games and whose pack has been struggling for parity let alone dominance. His ‘X-factor’ is something that his former club are missing.

Sale took their chances all night. They worked well without the ball, forced mistakes and pressured the Gloucester lineout in particular. They will lose games where they play better than this, but for most of the fans in attendance that will be of little concern.

Once again there were some bright spots, but it is difficult to praise any team that ships 50 plus points. The next match against early league leaders Northampton will not be for the feint hearted. Richard Hibbard, speaking on Radio Gloucestershire this week, noted that Northampton in particular have the ability to blow teams away with their strike runners and intensity. Defensive structures have been at the heart of training this week, but some would suggest that simply making the correct decisions in the opposition 22 would be the area that home side should be working on.

If Gloucester do win on Saturday, they will have won 3 from 6, all their home games and be ‘on par’ for many peoples early season expectations. Should they lose, the perception will continue to be one of a club in decline once again failing to reach the next level required.

If nothing else, last week has reminded everyone that statistics are a great tool to focus the mind and to direct training and improve problem areas. But territory and possession only give you the ability to score tries, you need the skill and patience to actually do it.