By New Cherry
January 20 2023

Gloucester's hopes of finishing in the top eight of Pool in the European Champions Cup rest on avoiding defeat by Bordeaux Begles, matching Lyon's result tonight at home to Bulls and doing better than Racing '92 who have the formidale task of facing Leinster in Dublin.

The Cherry and Whites will go into the game ( Saturday 3.15 kick off) knowing the Lyon result and surely anticipating a Racing defat. In any case a win is needed.

There are six changes with the biggest surprise the selection of Billy Twelvetrees at fly-half for the injured Santiago Carreras.

In the second row Cam Jordan replaces Freddie Clarke and  Albert Tuisue, who was outstanding in the first game between  the two sides, is back at No.8 and Jack Clement joins him in the back row.

Giorgi Kveseladze starts at outside entre and  Jamal Ford Robinson  is back after his injury and will be on the bench.

Gloucs: 15. George Barton 14. Jonny May 13. Giorgi Kveseladze 12. Seb Atkinson 11. Ollie Thorley 10. Billy Twelvetrees 9. Stephen Varney 1. Val Rapava-Ruskin 2. George McGuigan 3. Kirill Gotovtsev 4. Cam Jordan 5. Matias Alemanno 6. Jack Clement 7. Lewis Ludlow (capt) 8. Albert Tuisue.

Bench: 16. Seb Blake 17. Harry Elrington 18. Jamal Ford-Robinson 19. Freddie Clarke 20. Freddie Thomas 21. Charlie Chapman 22. Jack Reeves 23. Lloyd Evans.