Murphy - "desperate"

By Cherry Picker
April 6 2011

Gloucester’s team building for next season has well and truly started, but let’s not forget the small matter of battling for a place in THIS SEASON’S Premiership play-offs. With two new props on the way, and others sure to follow, working on the long-term future is important – but at the moment it’s not as important as Friday night in downtown Stockport, Sale Sharks v Gloucester.

Glaws rehabilitated themselves with a strong second half show against Newcastle at Kingshom last weekend, but the memory of their Harlequins humiliation the weekend before is hopefully still strong and they will again use that flop to fire them up for this one.

Glaws meet Sale twice in their last four Premiership games, ending the regular season at home to the Sharks on May 7, but between those two fixtures leaders Leicester (away), fourth-top Northampton (home) and second-top Saracens (away) will probably decide the cherry and white fate for the season.

They are in a strong enough position to claim a top four place – third top and six points ahead of fifth-placed London Irish. If looking at the League table doesn’t provide incentive, then surely nothing will.

Sale must not be underestimated, but the two games against them must be regarded as easier than the other three – it’s up to Glaws to prove that theory right.

Meanwhile, London Irish loosehead prop Dan Murphy – all 20st 11lb of him – has become the second front-row newcomer at Kingsholm. He has played more than 80 games for Irish, but his chances have been limited this season.

He has agreed a two-year deal days after Italy A tighthead Dario Chistolini agreed to join the club. Actually “agreed” is probably the wrong word – he more likely snatched at the chance.

Bryan Redpath told the BBC: “Dan is desperate to do well and pressure Nick Wood and Yann Thomas.

"He's probably better than third choice, which is what he is at the moment (at L Irish). It's a good chance for him.
"We've got Wood, Dan and Yann on the loose-head side, and Dario Chistolini, Rupert Harden and Shaun Knight on the tight head. The six are young, so we've got make sure we educate them well about what Gloucester is and what we expect them to be.

"We think we've got people coming into the club who are desperate to improve."

That’s a different approach to the one that says experience is vital if you want to do well at this level, an approach which has had mixed results at Kingsholm in the past. But surely the secret is to blend the youthful ambition Murphy and Chistolini will bring with the sort of experience Glaws can already boast in the pack.

However, whether the new boys are good enough is a question for next season – the task of getting a result in Stockport is top priority so Glaws can go into that play-off-deciding trio of games well set-up for the challenge.

Result at Sale is vital for Glaws

Discussion started by Shedloads (IP Logged), 06/04/2011 10:53

Shedloads
06/04/2011 10:53

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