George Barton pulled the strings expertly for the Cherry and Whites at Sale to draw praise from his coachesSALFORD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Ross Byrne of Gloucester looks on during the Gallagher PREM match between Sale Sharks and Gloucester Rugby at the Corpacq Stadium on September 25, 2025 in Salford, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Summer signing Ross Byrne faces a fascinating battle to keep hold of the number 10 jersey at Gloucester Rugby when the Gallagher PREM returns at the end of the month, with the pretenders to his throne snapping at his heels as they are handed opportunities to shine.

On Sunday, 24-year-old George Barton put in a player of the match display from fly-half as the Cherry and Whites ended a six-game losing streak with a 29-28 away win at Sale Sharks.

And on Saturday, Charlie Atkinson looks set to start at stand-off for England A against an All Blacks XV, having become a full England international this summer in a victory over the USA.

READ MORE: Gloucester Rugby quartet earn England A call-up for All Blacks XV clash

England are incredibly blessed with fly-half talent, but Atkinson’s selection once again marks out the 24-year-old as at least the country’s fourth or fifth choice stand-off, behind Sale’s George Ford, Northampton’s Fin Smith, Harlequins’ Marcus Smith, and Saracen’s Owen Farrell.

And yet Atkinson has started every game he has played in Cherry and White this season at full back, in part because of the lack of alternative fit options covering 15 following the departure of the irreplaceable Santi Carreras, but with Ben Redshaw and Josh Hathaway both returning to full fitness in recent weeks, Gloucester now have significant competition at the back, potentially allowing Atkinson to sharpen his focus on the 10 jersey.

So will director of rugby George Skivington stick with his headline summer signing from Leinster? Byrne has looked ill at ease trying to play flat enough to execute James Lightfoot-Brown’s attacking patterns at Gloucester so far.

“The message coming from the Cherry and Whites camp is he needs time to bed in, but the clock is ticking with results having gone the wrong way.

Reflecting on the display of Barton and his half-back partner Mikey Austin on Sunday, Gloucester defence coach Dom Waldouck said: “I felt like they controlled it, made some good decisions. In the second half, I think it was a tactical masterclass.

“The way we kept Sale in their 22 or in their half in particular, I think it reminded me of what George Ford did to us here in game one of the PREM season. For two young players to do that is very impressive.”

Waldouck continued: “We said there were two things we wanted to get out of this week: show the best version of yourself as an individual and fight together. And if you show the best version of yourself, you’re going to put yourself in selection discussions.

“I think a lot of players put their hands up and will make George think about them when he’s picking his next team.”

On Sunday, a youthful Cherry and Whites side secured a bonus point win, touching down twice through Welsh flanker Caio James, Jack Cotgreave and Will Trenholm.

Barton added three conversions and a penalty in a masterful display from stand-off.

Sale Sharks made it tight to the last whistle, touching down through Toby Wilson, Osian Roberts, James Harper and Nye Thomas, with Tom Curtis adding all four conversions.