Gloucester is an exciting and talented side and they have thrived under the guidance of Dean Ryan, who I have much respect for. I hated playing against Dean because I always knew he played up to the pantomime villain role and that meant he hurt you on purpose which is much more frightening than some thicko who cannot help himself. He is a very astute coach and having given youth a chance is reaping the rewards, so a warm welcome to him and Brian Redpath.

Bruce Reihana has returned to action after a long injury lay-off and made an immediate impact, both with his play and his leadership. I can assure you it is not by accident. I think I may have mentioned in previous notes about his work ethic to recover from a horrendous injury in the timescale set out for him but to get back in such good condition is amazing. I only mention Bruce as it was against Gloucester at the start of the season he got injured and the wheels began to come off and it would be fitting if he could produce a big performance today. Home form for us has been poor in the last month with three defeats and it is extremely painful to have been in a position to win all three of those games only to let them go. Gloucester is a bigger threat than our previous three opponents and we will need to show all the spirit of last week to make a game of it. If we do show that spirit from minute one to minute 80 and the guys play hard for themselves, each other and you, I will not complain if we come off second best.

Finally, a word for Caroline Moore who as you may know is moving on. Caroline has worked fantastically hard for the club and the team and shown skill and application in equal measure under testing circumstances at times. I will miss her but wish Caroline and her family all the best for the future.