PREVIEW…
Saturday December 24. Kick-off 3pm
George Skivington does not expect the loss of head coach Steve Borthwick to England to make a shred of difference when his side travel to Leicester's lair on Christmas Eve.
Borthwick turned the Tigers from basement battlers to champions in two years, one reason why he was Twickenham's first choice to succeed Eddie Jones.
“Anyone who did not know that appointment was coming would have had their head in the sand,” said Skivington, Gloucester's head coach. “I do not think it will have an effect when we play them.
“Richard Wigglesworth has taken over but the prep for our game will already have been done. What Steve did at Leicester was very impressive. He gave them a good hard edge.”
Gloucester's recent Premiership record against Leicester is poor. They have last the last four matches and 12 out of 15 with their last win in Leicester coming in 2007, although they drew 41-41 there in 2011.
“It would be great to beat Leicester, but you have to be realistic and practical,” said Skivington. “They are very good at what they do and we have to be ready for them. We have had some good games with them and some terrible ones.
“They are a pragmatic side with a strong set-piece and a kicking game. They are very physical and look to attack in the right areas. It will be an opportunity for us to test ourselves and we will take it on.”
Gloucester were in Leinster last weekend where Skivington caught up with Stuart Lancaster, the former England head coach who has made an impact as the province's attack coach.
“Stuart has been very generous with his time with me in the last couple of years,” said Skivington, who captained the Saxons when Lancaster was in charge of England's then second side.
“I am trying to push our game on because we are not where I want us to be. We are trying things and going for it and there is more to our game than this time last year.
“Stuart has been very forthcoming with his advice and help. I have always had a good rapport with him and a massive respect. He is a very diligent person who does not miss things.
“I touched base with him in my early days at Gloucester and when we went through some sticky times he would say that I was on track and to ignore the noise around me.
“When you are trying to build things in tough times, people like that are gold. I am only a little bit further down the line now and I value those conversations.
“It is a funny job. It feels great when you win but devastating when you lose. You have to see the real whatever the result. You want to learn as much as you can and make as few mistakes as possible and you cannot overestimate how important it is to have someone like Stuart to speak to and find out what he would have done differently.”
