New Skivington era at Gloucester enjoys convincing Premiership start against 14-man Worcester
Worcester full-back Melani Nanai was red-carded only 18 minutes into Warriors’ Gallagher Premiership return as Gloucester ran in six tries on their way to a 44-15 win. Nanai crashed into Jonny May with a head-high shoulder charge 10 metres out from the Worcester line, the Gloucester wing also seeing his game ended as he failed a subsequent head injury assessment.
Nanai’s sending-off continued the Samoan’s miserable first season for Worcester, a serious shoulder injury having sidelined him since early November. An early try from Ted Hill put the hosts in front, but Nanai’s red card proved a turning point as Gloucester ran riot.
Ollie Thorley scored two tries and Jack Singleton, Louis Rees-Zammit, Jason Woodward and Stephen Varney one apiece, with Billy Twelvetrees adding two penalties and four conversions. Scott van Breda scored a late consolation try for Worcester which Duncan Weir converted.
Worcester made a dream start, touching down within two minutes. Playing with a penalty advantage, Billy Searle launched a speculative crossfield kick for Hill to collect a favourable bounce and score.
Searle missed the conversion and then a long-distance penalty, but Warriors continued to look the better side. They could easily have had a second try when Nanai split the visitors’ defence, but Tom Howe was unable to take a difficult pass.
Cipriani loop passes and Jake Polledri offloads ?
The new normal not so different for @gloucesterrugby ???#RugbyRestart pic.twitter.com/PwUWEccCsP
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) August 15, 2020
Then came Nanai’s dismissal, with Twelvetrees kicking the resulting penalty to leave Gloucester trailing 5-3 at the end of the first quarter. Despite going down to 14, Worcester maintained their dominance and a splendid break from Ollie Lawrence secured his side a five-metre scrum. From that position the visitors were penalised, allowing Searle to kick an easy goal.
Gloucester, who chose the unheralded George Skivington to succeed Johan Ackermann as their Premiership boss, then responded with their first try when skilful passing sent Jake Polledri away down the right flank. When the ball was recycled, former Warriors hooker Singleton was on hand to step inside two tackles and bring the scores level.
Minutes later the visitors went ahead when Twelvetrees and Polledri made telling bursts before a long pass from Danny Cipriani sent Thorley over, with a conversion from Twelvetrees giving his side a 15-8 half-time lead.
Eight minutes after the restart that lead was extended when a neat cross-field kick from Cipriani provided Thorley with a second before a driving line-out saw Joe Simpson provide Rees-Zammit with an easy run-in for the bonus point.
Worcester conceded a fifth when Woodward raced in from half-way before Warriors hit back as Van Breda opened his Premiership try-scoring account. Gloucester, however, had the final say as replacement Varney darted over.
It is a strange weekend for rugby fans in England, watching their teams from afar https://t.co/Ogvb5xvkAs
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 15, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments