Looking at the ZP opposition - Gloucester

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By The Analyst
August 15 2002

An absolute giant of the English club game. The other two ZP West Country sides have had their ups and downs, but Gloucester inhabit maybe the greatest rugby city in the land. Where oval balls reign supreme and soccer is a strange outsiders' activity treated with amused contempt.

From the early years of the last century Glaws have rarely been out of the perceived top 10 clubs in the land. Yet only now are they beginning to challenge at the very top of the Premiership.

Fans used to raucously driving on a team of hardy homegrown lads , with a penchant for driving forward play by an omnivorous pack, are becoming accustomed to smelling the coffee with a squad of outsiders, with a whiff of gallic culture and playing a game of sweeping movement based on blinding pace and youthful talent.

Last year the likes of Bath and Newcastle were blown off the pitch in a maelstrom of movement and pace to which they had no answer whatsoever. The 'Shedheads' delighting in both results, as old and new enemies were satisfyingly incinerated.

Yet there is a hint of the old millstone, the fragility away from home, and this was evident when a collapse in morale earned them a fairly thorough spanking themselves at Northampton in the second half.

TRANSFERS
Out go Messrs Yachvili , Ewens, Craig Gillies and Diego Albanese.
In come Simon Amos (England 7s), Tinus Delport (major signing at fullback from the South African test team ) and Peter Buxton (potentially an important signing from Newport to bring some graft to the backrow).

They have certainly lost little, and Delport may become one of the major figures of next season.

MANAGEMENT
Philippe St Andre had the pride to wait until the team had turned the corner before leaving, with expressions of high regard and affection all round, a welcome change from some of the undignified sniping and bitching at other clubs.

Glaws are a club beginning to feel good about themselves again. In have come (at different times) the erstwhile England junior squad pairing of Nigel Melville from Wasps and the menacing form of Dean Ryan late of Brizzle These are two of the highest calibre coaches of English origin to emerge since the game went professional.

The ownership side looks more troubled, but as yet there are no signs that the problems at Formula 1 Arrows will have any adverse impact on the Cherry and Whites. May this long continue to be so.

PROSPECTS
Everyone's tip for a top-2 finish this year, seen as the first credible challenge to L*******r for 4 years, a side who can humiliate others, with a fortress for a home ground. They were simply breathtaking in some games last year and the addition of Delport to the fast-improving young talent around him will send a shiver up the backs of many.

Olivier Azam was seen by many good judges as the dominant forward, let alone front row or hooker, in the Premiership last year. Phil Vickery is a huge influence when fit and now it seems a valid possibility as England captain but there are weaknesses there which some teams will exploit.

Their backrow last term was hugely reliant on Jake Boer to keep them honest. Junior Paramore is an awesome runner and impact player, but he is getting no younger, and like a lot of the islanders is more at home in an open game, likes his tackles to be huge and obvious sometimes at the expense of positional play. Paramore is not the man you would want to see contesting the loose ball for 85 minutes with Back and Moody.

Forrester likewise needs an open game. Lacking in physique as yet what he abundantly already has is speed and talent in open field play.Andy Hazell and Peter Buxton enter the equation here and it may be that Ryan (presumably the forwards coach ) will mix and match these as the weather and pitches change during the season.

The lock pairing is pedestrian and Trevor Woodman, much feared around the league as a loosehead (indeed some would say the best loosehead in England for the last 3 years) seems out of favour and it is certainly hard to see a class hooker hidden within him.

Mercier is a strength when kicking but plays very deep and has the unfortunate knack of drawing the defence on to his outside players, thus reducing their life-expectancy. Melville has a job to do here .

Henry Paul is still a mystery and is another who has a tendency to take speed off a move by lying too deep and drifting sideways drawing the cover onto the poor number 13. At Franklins Gardens for England A against Ireland A he gave such a succession of hospital passes there were life insurers cringing in the stands as they watched his teammates absorb the big hits.

He has struggled since his arrival and Melville seemed to drew a line under him last year, hopefully on the basis that he might be a project for this year. A huge talent, but problematic.

The defence was sporadic, with some big hits, but a lack of attrition. These are quibbles with a package containing huge talent, but for me they say that anywhere from 3 to 5 is about where they will finish in the league.

Expect loads of tries, loads of bonus points, but also expect to see a couple of collapses, a weakness on the road and just too many points dropped for a league challenge this year.

As a cup team, they will be absolutely formidable and with another season under their belts, a couple of dogged signings in the back 5 of the forwards and some fine tuning defensively , right up there the following year.

I reckon this is a young team on the way, not yet arrived.



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