Q - starts

By Cherry Picker
May 13 2011

As if they didn't know it already, coach Bryan Redpath has told his Gloucester players that Sunday's Premiership play-off semi-final at Saracens is going to be a tough physical game and that the cherry and whites must match the home team's strength if they are to have a chance.

There are many who believe that with the ball in hand, Glaws are better than Sarries. But as BR quite rightly points out, it’s not going to be about flair, skill and pace.

Physicality is what will win the game and a chance to play in the final.

Redpath told the Citizen: “We've got to be ballsy (sorry, folks, that’s what he said, honest) on Sunday and have a good go, we have to. And that is physicality – that is nothing to do with playing from deep, playing in our own half.

"We've got to match physicality in the game, and to do that you've got to expose a little bit of yourself. We've got to do that on Sunday, and if not, we won't win the game.

"It's about physicality irrespective of the ball, when you have it, when you don't have it. It's got to be. In big games you've got to be physical.

"Physically, we must compete. We didn't compete in the recent game against them, we were a little bit flat and off the pace three weeks ago.

"If you're going to compete against a top side you must match physicality with physicality."

Redpath is presumably hoping that if his team can do that, when it comes to flaie they can win.

The cherry and whites will start as second favourites and Redpath is tending to stress the point, presumably in the hope that Sarries will go into the game in an over-confident frame of mind.

Akapusi Qera starts in the back row, Andy Hazell losing out, while Freddie Burns returns at full-back.

GLOUCESTER: Freddie Burns, Charlie Sharples, Tim Molenaar, Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, James Simpson-Daniel, Nicky Robinson, Rory Lawson, Nick Wood, Scott Lawson, Paul Doran-Jones, Jim Hamilton, Alex Brown, Alasdair Strokosch, Akapusi Qera, Luke Narraway (capt). Replacements: Darren Dawidiuk, Alasdair Dickinson, Rupert Harden, Dave Attwood, Brett Deacon, Dave Lewis, Henry Trinder, Tom Voyce.

SARACENS: Alex Goode, David Strettle, Chris Wyles, Brad Barritt, James Short, Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth, Matt Stevens, Schalk Brits, Carlos Nieto, Steve Borthwick (capt), Mourtiz Botha, Kelly Brown, Jacques Burger, Ernst Joubert. Replacements: Jamie George, Rhys Gill, Petrus du Plessis, Hugh Vyvyan, Andy Saull, Neil de Kock, Nils Mordt, Noah Cato.

Discussion started by Shedloads (IP Logged), 13/05/2011 15:36

Shedloads
13/05/2011 15:36

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