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Significant change has been afoot at Kingsholm this summer as Gloucester – one of English rugby’s proudest and most historic clubs – look to challenge at the top of PREM Rugby once more.
Out have gone 13 players and in have come two Wales captains and a South African World Cup winner. Out has gone the squad’s infamous pre-season milk challenge, which involved new players drinking eight pints in 20 minutes with the aim of not being sick. If they were, they would have their head shaved.
Instead, in have come presentations and acting performances designed to reconnect the squad’s players with the heritage of their employers and the city in which they play. And a new pre-season fitness challenge which took place in the club’s iconic Shed stand.
‘We haven't won a Premiership and for that to happen, there needs to be radical change around the place,’ Lewis Ludlow, Gloucester’s long-serving flanker, tells Daily Mail Sport.
There are new faces everywhere you look at Gloucester, both on and off the field. Wales leaders Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, Springbok enforcer Jean Kleyn and No 9 Dan Robson are the headline playing arrivals.
Assistant coaches Brett Deacon and Joel Tomkins have also joined this summer. Experienced technical director Chris Boyd and rugby manager Rob Burgess both signed on last season.
‘We haven't won a Premiership and for that to happen, there needs to be radical change around the place,’ say Lewis Ludlow, Gloucester’s long-serving flanker
Jamal Ford-Robinson flexes his muscles during pre-season training at Gloucester's Kingsholm
Gloucester’s investment in their first-team squad has come at significant cost and is designed to take some of the pressure off George Skivington, their head coach.
In the boardroom, chief executive Alex Brown continues to seek the sort of external investment that has boosted their PREM rivals Exeter and Newcastle.
‘I feel I now understand Gloucester,’ says Skivington, who joined in 2020. ‘We’ve got a lot of new players and I’ve told them that ultimately, the club wants to win the PREM.
‘This club has never done it, but it's built on a great foundation. We want to re-embrace that. In pre-season, we’ve asked the boys to do projects on former players, past seasons and the history of Kingsholm.
'They did a great job, bringing class and humour. Everybody left knowing a little bit more about the club. They all did it differently. Some of them acted skits out. Some of them did PowerPoints.
'We had a number of former players back for a barbecue and the current lads presented to the old boys on their careers. Will Trenholm was right in the mix on one of the skits.’
Powerful back-row Trenholm impressed with his acting, but it will soon be time for him and his Gloucester team-mates to do their performing between the white lines. By Skivington’s own admission, last season was a transitional one for Gloucester as they finished eighth, winning only five PREM matches.
‘We're very much looking forward now,’ Skivington says. ‘We recruited Jac and Dewi three or four games into last season. We knew very early on we needed to bulk the squad up and we needed senior leadership in certain positions.
‘I feel I now understand Gloucester,’ says head coach George Skivington. ‘We’ve got a lot of new players and I’ve told them that ultimately, the club wants to win the PREM'
Powerful back-row Will Trenholm impressed with his acting during some of Gloucester's quirkier pre-season prep
'We knew we had to sort the backroom staff out and that process began at the start of last season. It was a tough year we had to ride out, but there was always this subplot in the background that we were recruiting well.
‘There's money coming into clubs everywhere. Everyone is getting stronger. We've clearly spent more on and off the field than we have in a long time. That’s really, really important.’
The loss of Wales and Lions scrum-half Tomos Williams to Saracens has been a significant blow to Gloucester, with Robson his replacement. But on the whole, Skivington’s squad looks stronger than it did 12 months ago.
With that comes expectation. Gloucester’s heritage demands they compete at English club rugby’s top table.
‘I've not done a season yet that hasn't started with a lot of pressure,’ Skivington says. ‘But I think there's a good pressure on us this year because we've got a good team on and off the field and we'll welcome the pressure of trying to deliver with that.’
Ludlow, 31, was replaced as Gloucester’s club captain by Williams last season. He has played his entire career with the Cherry and Whites and is preparing for his 14th and Testimonial season at Kingsholm. His sights are set on surpassing Nick Wood's all-time club record of 277 appearances in the professional era.
‘We're in a unique position in that rugby is the main sport around these parts,’ Ludlow says. ‘It’s at the heart of the city. A lot of the ex-players we met still live here. The oldest was in their 80s. They told us of the honour they had playing for Gloucester.
'You could see how much them being back at the club meant to them. There was a lot of emotion. It was nice to see.’
Gloucester have brought in Joel Tomkins (left) as defence coach and Brett Deacon as forwards coach to help Skivington
One-time England No 9 Dan Robson has joined Gloucester from French club Pau
Two seasons ago, Gloucester just missed out on the top four by playing an all-court, attacking game with the imprint of highly-rated backs coach James Lightfoot Brown all over it. Despite the PREM turning into one of club rugby’s highest scoring divisions, that approach has been tempered somewhat.
‘A trophy is definitely achievable,’ says Ludlow. ‘There's been a serious influx of quality coming into the squad. We have an amazing set of fans and what I’ve said to the new lads is they will get behind you.
'But they’ll also let you know when it's not good enough. There was plenty of that last year, which was fully deserved. But they will still be back to support us again.
‘Hopefully, we go out there and deliver. Our performances at home in particular need to be of a better standard. For our fans, the results are the be-all-and-end-all of their week. That's the sort of pressure you need to feel and embrace.’
Gloucester have lifted silverware just once since 2015, in the Premiership Rugby Cup two years ago. In the league, it will be tough – but not impossible – to challenge the likes of Northampton and Bath.
‘We’ve had some big signings come in,’ says No 10 Charlie Atkinson. ‘I know we finished eighth last year, but we took Bath and Northampton to the wire. They were two games we should have won. This year there's a lot more potential for a higher finish. We’re all aiming for top four. There is a big sense of excitement around the club.’
Skivington wants Gloucester to rediscover a harder edge and make Kingsholm a fortress once again.
The club’s pre-season fitness challenge which involved running up and down and across Kingsholm’s most famous stand carrying a raft of different equipment in pairs was part of that. Robson and James Venter were crowned winners.
Jack Innard puts in the hard work during a tough pre-season with Gloucester
Gloucester - with Junior Denny in full flight - hope to challenge at the top end of the PREM this season
‘If you look at Northampton, they're the benchmark at the moment as they’ve won two of the last three PREM titles,’ Ludlow says. ‘People probably underestimate how good their defence is. Last season, they made the most tackles.
'That’s an area we know we need to change and improve on. Joel coming in has put a big emphasis on our defence. We have to go back to being a proper Gloucester forward pack.’
The hard, abrasive nature of new signings Morgan, Lake and Kleyn should give Gloucester more firepower and grunt up front. A big season awaits for the Cherry and Whites. The feeling is they can have no excuses if they don’t perform.
