Gloucester
Gloucester's GP fate is in their own hands
Ryan Lamb - hopeful
By Cherry Picker
April 17 2008
If anybody tells you that finishing top in the Guinness Premiership table is not as important as finishing in one of the four play-off places, tell them they are talking ... err ... rubbish. Gloucester finished top last season, but lost out in the play-offs, and they want to finish top again this time, only with a better outcome in the final.
It's been a long, hard season, and Gloucester have had their share of hiccups on the way.
But they are still top, they appears to be playing better than they were during their mini-slump, players like Ryan Lamb are coming back to form, and two of their last three games are at Kingsholm.
The run-in continues at home to Leeds on Saturday, with coach Dean Ryan and play-maker Lamb issuing the usual sort of "we can't afford to relax" warnings.
Then comes a visit o play-off hopefuls Wasps, and the season ends with a home game against a four-letter word.
Whoever drew up the fixtures last summer must have spotted the potential of Glaws v B*rf on the last day of the regular season. If thbey were bottom and second bottom, the game would still probably fill Kingsholm.
But if they are still top and second, what a way to end the season as the two old rivals go head to head.
First, though, there's a matter of taking care of Leeds Cornflour, or whatever their latest name is. Glaws stormed to victory at the Cornflour Stadium on the first day of the season, Big Les (right) issuing an early warning of his threat, and another big win will be expected on Saturday.
But the warnings are there, with Lamb telling the Citizen: "Playing against the team at the bottom of the table, there can be the temptation to throw the ball about when it's not on.
"Leeds could pick us off for a couple of tries and get their tails up, so for the first 20 minutes we need to be tight and direct. If we keep to the structure, tries will come.
"Against Saracens, we concentrated on getting the hands off the ball so people like Sinbad (James Simpson-Daniel), Tinds (Mike Tindall) and Balsh (Iain Balshaw) can do some damage.
"We have an amazing back-line and you have to pinch yourself sometimes when you see who you are playing with. People like Les (Vainikolo) are finishing off tries week in, week out and it's fantastic having Tinds and Olly Morgan back."
Let's go Glaws.
FOOTNOTE: If it really is necessary for professional sportsmen to show their lack of imagination by shortening names to Tinds and Balsh, is it also necessary for the media to put the nicknames in print? And what has Morgan done wrong to not be called Morgs?
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