Gloucester

Extra experience: Olly Barkley

Club Details

Kingsholm
Kingsholm Road
Gloucester
GL1 3AX

Stadium Capacity: 12,500
Website: www.gloucesterrugbyclub.com
Founded: 1873

- 2008/9 Season Preview -

Skybet title odds - 4/1

Last time around: The kings of the league campaign yet again but once more when it came to the crunch Gloucester fell short of the mark! This time their double woe came against the might of Munster in Europe and Leicester in the GP play-offs, both on home soil to boot. But nothing can be taken away from another impressive campaign of real dynamism and an exciting rugby brand!

This time around? There will be other challengers in the regular season but one can't see past another Gloucester canter to the top! They've even improved their personnel for the forthcoming term with the arrival of star names such as Olly Barkley and Greg Somerville to possibly aid them in the business end... Surely trophies for the Cherry and Whites!?

Coach: Former England number eight Dean Ryan's vision of rugby has well-and-truly been bought into by his Gloucester men over the past couple of years! And although still lacking that experience of winning the big games of the calendar year, one expects them to make the next step this time around and get their hands on one of the two coveted trophies!

One to watch: Shrewd signing Olly Barkley has jumped from Bath to Kingsholm and is sure to bring that extra winning mentality to last year's nearly men. Expect him to switch between ten and twelve on a weekly basis with Ryan Lamb and Anthony Allen learning from an experienced pivot's head.

In: Olly Barkley (Bath), Matt Watkins (Scarlets), Greg Somerville (Crusaders), Adam Eustace (Scarlets), David Young (Leicester)

Out: Chris Paterson (Edinburgh), Jon Pendlebury (Leeds), Dan Tuohy (Exeter), Mike Prendergast (Munster), Christian Califano (retired), Ludovic Mercier (France), Karl Pryce (rugby league), Adam Balding (Newcastle), Patrice Collazo.

PR Prediction: 1st