'The season has not been ideal... you genuinely find out about people'

George Skivington says Gloucester want to throw as much as they can at their three remaining Gallagher Prem games after closing in on Champions Cup qualification for next season.

Gloucester took a sizeable step towards a Champions Cup berth by beating Sale 21-15 at Kingsholm.

A top-eight league finish will secure that target, with Gloucester and Harlequins effectively battling it out for the final spot.

Gloucester are currently nine points above Quins ahead of closing out the campaign against Saracens, Northampton and Newcastle.

“The season has not been ideal, but what has been pleasing is that when we have gone after a few bits everyone has sort of rowed in behind,” Gloucester rugby director Skivington told TNT Sports.

“There has been loads of energy around the club. There are still three more games, and we want to try and throw as much at those as we can.

“When you have got the hard times like we’ve had this season you genuinely find out about people – you see what they are like when it’s hard – and you have got to find your way through it.

“I think your reputation is built throughout the whole season, and if you think at the back end of the season you cannot turn up for a few games – win or lose, this is – people won’t forget that.

“We created a lot today, although we weren’t clinical enough to take all the points.”

Following victory over play-off contenders Exeter last time out, Gloucester backed up that success by wiping out a 12-0 deficit through tries from wing Ben Loader and fly-half Charlie Atkinson, with full-back George Barton kicking two conversions.

But it took Atkinson’s second score three minutes from time to finally subdue Sale, before Barton maintained his 100 per cent success-rate with the boot.

Touchdowns by hooker Alfie Longstaff and wing Tom O’Flaherty, plus one George Ford conversion, had put Sale in charge until Gloucester stirred and then proceeded to dominate in terms of possession and territory, although Ford’s 74th-minute drop-goal ensured a frantic finish.

Sale rugby director Alex Sanderson said: “We started well with a lot of endeavour and the motivation was there as we showed graft to keep repelling them, but you can’t operate without a platform.

“We lost lineout after lineout and the scrum struggled, as it’s a big learning curve for our youngsters in those positions, and as a result we couldn’t get out of our half for the first 20 minutes.

“The breakdown was a complete mess, and we have to look at what we could have done better in that area.”