Following Gloucester’s 30-26 defeat to Bath in round 10 of the Gallagher PREM, here is how we scored George Skivington’s men.
Gloucester player ratings v Bath
15 George Barton: Seemed to find the form he showed across last season, in a pretty tidy effort. Added some nice touches to his side’s attack, stepping in at first receiver to good effect in the process, and was pretty solid under the high ball when called upon too. 6
14 Josh Hathaway: Always seemed to be in and around the mix, and came up with a few nice interventions in the process. Couldn’t quite get the full breakaway his efforts warranted, but that’s through no fault of his own. 6
13 Josiah Edwards Giraud: Came up with some huge efforts on both sides of the ball just when his side needed it most. His quick feet and change of pace at the line allowed him to make metres in attack when things didn’t quite seem to be on, and found himself in nice pockets of space around that too. His tackle on Dan Frost was also the textbook cover tackle. 7
12 Seb Atkinson: Continued his excellent run of form with a monstrous effort ball-in-hand. Once again, trucked supremely well in the carry, particularly in those heavy areas of traffic, in an effort that will put Steve Borthwick on notice following his inclusion in the Six Nations squad. That told in his stats, too, with a team-high 48 metres from 15 carries. 8
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11 Ollie Thorley: Grew into the match as it went along, enjoying a lovely battle with Will Muir in the process. Typically added some proper power and pace to Gloucester’s attack, and managed to break through on occasion as well with a game-high two linebreaks. 6
10 Charlie Atkinson: Has had to bide his time this season, but properly took the reins tonight with a commanding performance. He offered a genuine all-court threat across his game, with some delicious playmaking and kicking, and took his try superbly well, too. This is exactly what Borthwick would have wanted from him, with England A selection not far away. Would probably be a 7.5 if we did half-points. 7
9 Tomos Williams (c): This was the Welshman at his best, looking very much like the Williams that lit the PREM up last year in the process. Injected serious pace into his side’s attack alongside pinpoint accuracy with his distribution, but also showed his trademark flashes of excellence from the boot too. This return to form will give Gloucester serious belief to build on for the rest of the season, as they eye up a possible Champions Cup berth. Like his half-back partner, would get 7.5 if we did half-points. 7
Back-row
8 Will Trenholm: You’d think he’ll be pretty sore in the morning, given his industrious efforts in the tight. Trucked really well ball-in-hand, dragging his side over the gainline against a pretty aggressive defence, and got stuck into the breakdown efforts too. 7
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7 Lewis Ludlow: Never took a backwards step in a characteristically abrasive performance. Just threw himself into every tackle, carry and breakdown with no regard for his own safety, in a real show of leadership. His side were all the better for it, too. 7
6 James Venter: Possibly not as visible as his back-row colleagues, but that’s certainly not a criticism. Added some bulk to their impressive defensive efforts, and got stuck into the breakdown too. 6
Tight five
5 Matias Alemanno: A huge defensive effort on a night where Gloucester needed exactly that. Notched a game-high tally of 19 tackles at 100% completion, while chipping in with a crucial turnover. Proper steel, that will again serve his side well in the coming weeks and months. 7
4 Deian Gwynne: Potentially went under the radar, but was still mightily strong. Like his lock partner, got heavily involved in the defensive efforts, making a healthy 12 tackles to boot, and backed that up with some good work in the breakdown. 6
3 Afo Fasogbon: It undoubtedly would have been a disappointing day for the England hopeful, after missing out on the Six Nations squad, but he channelled it into a strong display on the pitch. Managed ok in the scrum, and got himself about in the loose. 6
2 Will Crane: A lot has been made of his switch to Gloucester from the Championship, but he yet again stepped up to the plate for the Cherry and Whites, to the point where they might not want him to head back to his parent club. Got himself involved in the gruelling battle up-front, notching an impressive tally of 14 tackles at a 100% success rate, and made some vital interventions in the process. 7
1 Val Rapava Ruskin: Looking back to the player who earned a spot in the wider England training squad, after what has been a pretty well-documented injury battle. Just got involved in every aspect of his side’s gritty efforts around the park, on both sides of the ball too, helping them stay in the fight in the process. 7
Replacements: It’s a hard ask to match the impact of Bath’s Bomb Squad, and while they tried, they just couldn’t quite handle them come the full-time whistle. It was by no means through lack of effort, with Ciaran Knight, Kirill Gotovtsev and Cam Jordan getting stuck in from the moment they arrived, but it was just not enough to stem the flow. 6