It's official: Rory Teague is the latest casualty at Gloucester
The upheaval at Gloucester is continuing at a hectic pace, the Gallagher Premiership club confirming on Tuesday that assistant coach Rory Teague is leaving to seek out opportunities elsewhere. The English top-flight club have been unsettled ever since head coach Johan Ackermann decided in May to quit for a move to the Japanese Top 14.
He was followed out the Kingsholm door by David Humphreys, the director of rugby, and a plethora of players, the latest being the confirmation that lock Gerbrandt Grobler has taken up a two-year deal at Stade Francais in the Top 14.
Now comes word that Teague, whom RugbyPass reported on Monday was set to leave, has officially departed the club just days after it emerged that his second cousin, England and Lions legend Mike, demanded the removal of all his memorabilia at Gloucester.
“I have said I want all the memorabilia back, murals, shirts, whatever. Anything to do with my name I want out of the club and gone,” said Mike Teague in a Sunday interview with The Rugby Paper two days before Gloucester confirmed that Rory Teague was leaving.
A brief statement read: “Gloucester today announce that Rory Teague is leaving the club. With the appointment of George Skivington as head coach, it has been agreed with Rory that he will seek opportunities elsewhere.”
Gloucester Rugby today announce that Rory Teague is leaving the Club.
We wish you all the best with your future endeavours, Rory.
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— Gloucester Rugby ? (@gloucesterrugby) July 7, 2020
Chief operating officer Alex Brown added: “Rory is a great coach. We would like to recognise the good work he has done here and we wish him all the best for the future.”
Teague said: “I would personally like to thank Gloucester for affording me the opportunity to coach at the club that I grew up supporting and have always loved.
“I would like to wish Gloucester and George Skivington the best of luck for the completion of the current season and beyond. I’m confident with the squad Gloucester have, and the passionate supporters behind them, that success over the next few seasons will return to this great club.”
Prior to the appointment of the unheralded Skivington, an assistant at London Irish, Teague had been acting as de facto head coach following the exit of Ackermann.
Now, having only extended his contract with the club in January, the ex-Bordeaux head coach has also headed out the exit door. Despite the reported backing of some senior players at the club, Teague was overlooked in favour of Skivington, who beat off competition from 70 other applicants.
George Skivington, Lance Bradley and Alex Brown tell @samrobertsrugby about an exciting new chapter at Gloucester.https://t.co/5V3XiONmd6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 1, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
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