By Cherry Picker
August 4 2010

The recession is biting and rugby clubs, Gloucester included, don't have the money they used to have to splash out on new big-name players. And that situation makes a deal struck by the club with a month to go to the new season more significant than it may first appear as Allan Lewis is named as director of the club academy.

The days of going along the soccer road and impatiently signing ready-made players more often than relying on youngsters to come through the ranks may be over - and surely that can only be a good thing for the game's long-term future at every level.
There's nothing wrong with signing foreign players - many of them bring a touch of glamour as well as experience and sheer class to the game and to their team-mates. And, of course, modern club rugby at the top level is all about putting bums on seats, and a big name from, say New Zealand, will do that more than an unknown from down the road.
But financial constraints are biting and Lewis's appointment could be vital to the club's future.
He will remain as head coach at Hartpury College, further strengthening the links between club and college, and will work closely with Mark Cornwell and Phil Greenaway.
MD Ken Nottage told the BBC that the appointment is ideal while Lewis himself told the Citizen: "I regard it as a privilege to be appointed to this role and to be associated with such an internationally respected rugby club.
"Gloucestershire is well known as a stronghold for rugby and Gloucester lies at the heart of this extremely vibrant community.
"My aim together with Phil (Greenaway) and Mark (Cornwell) is to identify and develop the young local gifted players and provide them with a pathway to represent Gloucester in the near future and hopefully to gain international honours with England."
Meanwhile, pre-season preparations are going along quietly with less than a month to go to the big kick-off at Exteter. The first pre-season friendly is a week on Saturday when Welsh giants Scarlets visit Kingsholm.
A week later Glaws go to Ospreys and on Friday, August 27, the friendly campaign ends at Munster.

Stronger College link boosts Glaws future

Discussion started by Shedloads (IP Logged), 04/08/2010 11:29

Shedloads
04/08/2010 11:29

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Yeager
04/08/2010 11:41

It's a sign of the times. We've got a more closely scrutinised salary cap in which to operate, so we (and the rest of the Premiership) can't accommodate high profile, and therefore expensive, players any more. We probably couldn't afford them anyway given current economics. That is why we are looking more to the Championship clubs and why we need to raise the profile and standard of the academy.

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