Gloucester boss on ‘brilliant’ younger brother of former England star as youngsters set to light up Prem

Gloucester head coach George Skivington has named Will Joseph, among a handful of other youngsters, as players to look out for this coming season.

The Cherry and Whites boss spoke to the press at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Wednesday, as the newly branded ‘Prem Rugby’ was launched ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

With pre-season training coming to an end, the 42-year-old has had the opportunity to assess his crop of players, building up to the first match. When asked who fans should be watching out for this season, it was the former Harlequins centre, Joseph, who got the first mention.

“Will Joseph is a good example of someone who was shooting for the stars, and then he’s had a bit of a bumpy period,” said Skivington.

“He’s come in. He’s done the whole pre-season. He’s trained really well. We’re really hoping that if we can get Will Joseph back to where he was, he’ll be a great addition. So he’s been brilliant.”

The younger brother of the explosive Jonathan Joseph is the man to watch this season, but the Gloucester head coach was also excited about the other youngsters coming through.

“The young Welsh lads in the U20s really impressed me. They’ve come in and been really good. Gone from boys to men over the summer,” he said.

“We’ve put a lot of energy into the young guys, so there will be more coming through this year. I think last year we had six or seven young players really break through, so there’s a group like that, and those young Welsh lads certainly have been brilliant.

“I was hoping dead Ben Redshaw would come in, but he got injured [shoulder] in the 20s World Cup, so he’s still rehabbing, which is unfortunate, but I’m confident he’ll return by the end of the year.”

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The arrival of Nepo Laulala

The statement signing of the summer has to be former All Blacks prop Nepo Laulala, who arrived at Kingholm with a wealth of experience at both international and club level.

“Nepo has been brilliant,” said the Gloucester boss.

“He’s recovered from a serious injury after having had a frustrating time. We brought him in at the back end of last season and rehabbed him. We’ve got a brilliant medical team, we’ve got history with this, with Gareth Anscombe we did the same two seasons ago.”

Bringing in a 33-year-old injured prop has its troubles, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, according to Skivington.

“He’s come in, done a lot of work. He’s been brilliant, put in the effort, and been very knowledgeable and unbelievable professionally. We’re hoping to first get him back to somewhere here where he was; that’s the most important bit. Behind the scenes, he’s been great.

“He’s like having a second scrum coach alongside Trevor Woodman, just talking to the boys, and obviously they’re listening respectfully. 

“He’s one of those guys that will stop and turn around and talk to everybody and demand a little bit.”

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