Glaws patient out of intensive care and on the mend

The patient is out of intensive care and on the mend – that’s the verdict on a Gloucester team that was in a bad way in the opening quarter of the season, but now appears to be doing well on an intensive course of rehabilitation. A 25-13 win over Newcastle Falcons at Kingsholm was just what the doctor ordered – not just for the win, but for the way it was achieved.

Basically, Glaws were full value for the result, and it’s not often we’ve been able to say that this season. The black cloud on the horizon was the neck injury that saw Akapusi Qera stretchered off – hopefully it’s not as bad as it looked.
Conditions weren’t perfect, but they rarely are in December, and Glaws rose above them against a side that has done well this season.
Coach Bryan Redpath failed avoid a few of the clichés that plague football when he told the BBC after the game: "We had to grind out a win in the right way in conditions that weren't great. Winning is everything - it doesn't matter if you win well or win ugly.
"There are no easy games in this league. It was a game we had to win going into two Heineken Cup matches against Glasgow in the next fortnight."
In fact, those two paragraphs could qualify for an award for squeezing the most clichés into a quote, but of course he was right and when people stick a microphone into your face, it’s difficult to avoid sport-speak.
The win was built on some excellent defensive play when it was needed as Newcastle out Glaws under pressure and on the boot of Nicky Robinson (right, stroking over a pen against the Falcons) who kicked 20 points to add to the early try from Charlie Sharples.
It wasn’t a spectacle, but it was a win and the points have made life look a lot more comfortable for Glaws in mid-table. Most people agreed they were in a false position near the foot of the table after their shaky start to the season, but while things are looking a lot brighter now, it’s worth pointing out that Redpath’s team is a lot closer to the bottom than the top - in fact, almost twice as close.
They now go into back-to-back Heineken Cup games against Glasgow – in Scotland on Friday night and at Kingsholm on the Sunday before Christmas.
Then it’s the festive derby against Bath at the Rec, where the home team will be desperate for revenge following their defeat at Kingsholm on day one.It’s not the battle of the giants it has been in past seasons, but it’s still a big game.
On the form they showed against falcons, Glaws can go into all three games full of confidence, and good results will surely boost their growing confidence further.
Things are looking up.