Defeat, but no disgrace for Glaws

Bryan Redpath says it's hard to look at Gloucester's Premiership play-off defeat at Saracens and be upbeat. But we disagree. Once the disappointment of losing has sunk in, surely we can reflect on a season which at times promised nothing but ended up producing a trophy and a top four finish.

By any standards, that is not a bad return for a team still in the development stages, and because of this Glaws have done right to extend Redpath’s Kingsholm contract.

He’s still a rookie senior coach, many of his players are still rookies and he’s losing a lot of experience and ability before next season starts. But he is the right man for the job and deserves the chance to continue his and the squad’s progress.

Losing by two points to a late penalty and scoring the game’s only try shows that Glaws were by no means disgraced and Saracens are well aware that they were in a hard game.

Redpath told the BBC: “In big games like this you need to do your basics well, and in tight games you need that five per cent to go your way.

"In the first half we never got into any kind of rhythm. Credit to Saracens, they were defensively pretty hot all day.

“We have matured a lot. We competed and made them fight hard for every point and among the players there are a lot of disappointed people.

"It's been a strong season and hopefully the start of a new challenge for a lot of the players. Some will get opportunities next season.

“It's hard to look at it and be upbeat after losing a semi-final but we've got a trophy and we got into the play-offs and I can't really ask for much more. The players deserve a lot of credit."

So do you and your fellow coaches, BR.

We went into the season without too many realistic hopes, some early games were more than disappointing (anybody go to Exeter, Newcastle or Leeds?), but some were top drawer (Leicester and Sarries at home, remember). Then in the second half of the season things started to go right.

If we’d played like that all season, where might we have finished?

In a messy sort of game at Watford, teenager Owen Farrell kicked four penalties for Sarries, the last after it appeared the home team had knocked on, while Nicky Robinson marked his last Glaws game by scoring a try which he converted himself and kicking a penalty. He’s going to be a hard act to follow.

Yes, a disappointing end to the season.

But let’s be fair to all concerned – if we had been offered that Glaws have achieved this season at Christmas, we would have grasped it with both hands.

Now comes the hard part for Redpath – converting promise into real achievement.