Unchanged Glaws for HC Millennium trip

It’s not very often any rugby team is unchanged from one week to the next, let alone Gloucester. And it’s even more rare for that to happen after a tough Heineken Cup-tie against a French club team. But naming an unchanged team is exactly what Glaws coach Dean Ryan has managed to do for this weekend’s Heineken Cup visit to the Millennium Stadium to play Cardiff Blues.

It’s a game Gloucester regard as one of the most important of the season – a win would put them in the driving position in the European pool, and go a long way towards repairing the damage done by their shaky start to the Guinness Premiership season.
Ryan told the club website: “I think we know and understand we can play better than we did last weekend, but at the same time our approach was first class.
“We know our game will get better from the foundation we produced against Biarritz but it was vital we had that against top quality opposition and we will need that again on Sunday.
“It is about getting the balance right. Sometimes, in big games, perhaps we have been guilty of over-playing at times but are striving to get it right. We have exposed ourselves to too much risk – it’s about playing, but in the right areas.
“We did a lot of things right at the weekend and hopefully that can make us play more – we want to build on that performance this weekend.”
The Welsh footy team criticised the Millennium Stadium pitch this week, and Cardiff coach Dai Young said: "Apparently it's quite young turf and it is a bit of a worry.
"We want to play rugby the same as Gloucester and both teams will want the pitch to be fine.
"I know they've got a real good ground staff over there and a lot of work will be put in over the next couple of days to make sure the pitch is up to scratch.
"In the second half, especially when the roof is closed, it seems to get a little bit slippery, which I think is down to dew or moisture on the surface.
"What you've got to be careful of is going out there first half and it's quite hard and a real good surface and you can wear your short studs, only to be caught out in the second half." GLAWS: Olly Morgan, Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall (capt), Olly Barkley, James Simpson-Daniel, Ryan Lamb, Gareth Cooper; Alasdair Dickinson, Olivier Azam, Carlos Nieto, Marco Bortolami, Alex Brown, Peter Buxton, Alasdair Strokosch, Luke Narraway. Reps: Scott Lawson, Jack Forster, Adam Eustace, Andy Hazell, Rory Lawson, Willie Walker, Lesley Vainikolo.