Gloucester
Amlin tie gives Glaws another revenge chance
Jake B - wants to stay
By Cherry Picker
April 7 2010
Not too long ago, Gloucester’s season looked as if it was all but over – but now, with only a handful of games left there’s still a lot to play for, even if it’s only setting things up for a better campaign in 2010-11. Glaws take a break from the Guinness Premiership with another visit to Wasps on Sunday in the quarter-final of the Amlin Cup, and it’s a game they should be keen to win.
They lost 24-19 at Adams Park in the Premiership a month ago, and were also beaten 21-14 in the LV Cup way back in November, but perhaps the greatest pain was inflicted on the team a month earlier when they were hammered 35-6 by Wasps in the GP at Kingsholm.
Professional pride alone should mean Glaws will be desperate to make amends for that flop, and they have gone a long way towards doing so with their improved performances in the two cup games.
The second half of the season has been a lot better for Glaws, of course, and they are a different team now to the one that was both embarrassed and embarrassing in that October humiliation at Kingsholm.
In addition to that, making progress in the Amlin wouldn’t be a bad idea, either – the winners qualify for next season’s Heineken Cup.
The three remaining GP games – Northampton (a) on April 17, London Irish (h) on April 24 and Worcester (a) on May 8 – could also decide which knock-out competition Glaws will play in next season.
The top six is the aim for Heineken qualification, but Bryan Redpath’s top four target set a few weeks ago appears to have fallen by the wayside now. It’s still possible, but fourth-top Wasps would have to suffer an alarming loss of form to see the nine-point cushion they have over Glaws close. Irish, who are fifth, also have an eight-point lead, and that makes their visit to Kingsholm for the last GP home game of the season a vital one.
Sixth-top Bath are just two points and one place ahead of Glaws.
Meanwhile, competition for places next season is looking good, with Jake Boer declaring himself back to full fitness and keen to extend his return to the club into next season, and young Freddie Burns (right) just as keen to compete for the No10 shirt.
Boer had a blinder in the win over Sarries and told the Citizen: "This is my home from home and if I can stay involved in any way that would be fantastic. But ultimately I can't make that decision.
"It has taken me a few weeks to get settled into it, but I finally feel like I'm able to take the 80 minutes again. It was a bit of a lung -buster for the first 20 or 30 minutes, but it was fantastic to finish the 80 and come away with the win.
"I struggled for a few weeks with an injury. But it's finally starting to feel like I'm waking up with no aches and pains.”Burns, meanwhile, may have done well at full-back in covering for injuries to Olly Morgan and Tom Voyce, but he regards himself at a fly-half and plans to put more pressure on Nicky Robinson after his outstanding performance in the win over Sarries.
He told the Citizen: "I don't mind playing full-back," he said. "At 19 I'll take whatever I can get.
"But I definitely see my future as a 10 and hopefully come next year I'll start pushing Nicky for the fly-half shirt."
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07/04/2010 11:06
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