Gloucester ready for dogfight with Tigers to lift Ed Slater Cup

By PAUL REES

PREVIEW…

Gloucester v Leicester

Today. Kick-off 1pm, Kingsholm

GEORGE Skivington has told his players to be prepared for a dogfight when they take on champions Leicester at Kingsholm. The Tigers started this week's round in third after a three-match winning streak, four places and four points above Gloucester in the hotly contested battle for the final two places in the play-offs.

“There is a lot on the line in this game,” said Skivington, Gloucester's head coach. “Leicester are playing really well and while we scored six tries against Northampton in the last round, I was not happy because we conceded six and lost after a poor period.

“If we wobble like that against Leicester they will slaughter us. Attitude is vitally important and it will be about how we rip into this game. We are in a dogfight and although I am not one who worries about the table, I am aware of where we are and how tight it is.

“Lose to Leicester and we are in trouble but if we win we will be in the fight. It has been a season in which teams have bounced up and down the table but we are at the point now where if you win a couple of games, you can pull away.”

Gloucester have lost their last five league games against Leicester and 13 of the last 16. Their successes in the fixture since 2007 have all come at Kingsholm where they have won five of their seven league matches this campaign.

“It has been a funny season,” said Skivington. “We started really well and then lost a few key guys in the November internationals and picked up some injuries. It has been stop-start since then but we are clear on how we want to play.

“We learned a lot from our defeat in Leicester (on Christmas Eve). We played well in the first half and then strayed from the gameplan. We came in on Boxing Day and had a good honest meeting. It was the point everyone understood what we wanted to do.”

Leicester have recovered from a rocky period after Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield joined England and lost three league matches in a row after beating Gloucester, Richard Wigglesworth's first game as interim head coach.

They have won their last three despite being without five players who have been in England's 23, but they have had Ben Youngs available to add his experience at scrum-half with Jack van Poortvliet with the national side and Wigglesworth two months into retirement from playing.

“Ben has contributed hugely to the wins and it is always helpful when you have an international player of his experience in a key position,” said Wigglesworth. “We expected guys to be away with England and we planned for it.

“The club backed us in signing a few players and everyone has worked incredibly hard. We will have our England players back for our final three Premiership matches, but after being away for so long, they will need time together with the squad again.”

Gloucester and Leicester will be playing for the Ed Slater Cup in recognition of the second row who played for both clubs who retired earlier this season after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

“We had a great dinner for him at Cheltenham last weekend, a big event centred around something really tragic,” said Skivington. “We expected him to be part of our journey this season as one of our leaders and there is a big hole there. Playing for this trophy is massive for us and we'll do everything we can for him.”