Attwood keen to make an impression
Gloucester lock Dave Attwood says he is keen to make a big impression this season after a disappointing start to his career with the club.
Attwood only managed to play 17 times last season, which is a much lower figure than the 23-year-old had been hoping for. He says he is ready to up the ante as he wants a regular place in both the Gloucester and England side.
Attwood signed for Gloucester in 2009, he arrived from Bristol where he had only made 10 first team appearances and many said he would struggle. However, the lock has been involved in the England Under 20s and England Saxons side, which proves his game does have some substance.
If Attwood wants to make a strong impression over the course of this season then there are many things that he will have to do in order to hit the ground running. He is a member of Martin Johnson's Elite Performance Squad but there are many quality players who will all be fighting for an England place.
Hit the ground running
Attwood has to make sure that his fitness is very high by the time Gloucester's season starts. He is physically very big and will have to do a lot more work off the ball in order to keep his stamina strong.
This is vital because locks are involved in so much of the game. He has to combine long runs, sprints and tackling all in to his training regime if he wants get the edge over Jim Hamilton and Alex Brown at the club.
His technique is already very good but there is always room for improvement with rugby players. Even if this means he just trains by passing balls to a coach, it will put him a step ahead of others and will mean he is razor sharp by the time he plays in his first game.
He said: "It's very easy to get swept up and think 'big tick, I've done that now', If anything the challenge is bigger to feel like I'm deserving of the spot and as desperate as I was last year. Although I have had many conversations with Johnno [Johnson], we don't really talk technical too much."
The elite performance squad
The England coach always announces an elite performance squad before a series of big games. This gives him a group of players to work with and narrow down ahead of important test matches. In this case England will play New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa and Australia in the autumn.
There are a lot of players all fighting to get into the same team. Attwood will face stiff competition at lock and may be edged out by a more determined individual. This places even greater emphasis on the things he has to do during pre-season to put himself in a better position.
He added: "You try and absorb some stuff, but the game is different now to what it was even to last year with rule changes, so a lot of the conversations are about the development of the rules and the development of the game."
Betting advice
Attwood is going to be a player who runs around like a headless chicken in the Gloucester team to get noticed and to get the attention that he feels he deserves. If he starts very well then there's a good chance he'll be in the England team and this will give him even greater confidence.
If Gloucester are going to do well this season then he'll have to be a regular player in the team. Don't be afraid to have a small punt on them winning the league. However, don't bet on him as a player because he does not score many points, if any.
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