Brown: Gloucester defence is better
Alex Brown says the Gloucester defence has made a number of changes in order to be much harder to break down this season.
Brown plays in the second-row of the Gloucester team, which is the main line of defence at any club. He says that the club has changed the mentality and technique in the defence in the hope that the club can push for the top four this year.
Gloucester finished in a disappointing mid-table position last season. This was largely due to a high volume of basic and unforced errors in the defence that stopped the side from cashing in on some high points totals.
Gloucester has made a few tweaks in the defensive areas that should help the team be much harder to beat this season. However, there are still four or five teams that are expected to have much better seasons than the South West outfit.
A few changes
One of the changes that Gloucester has made is decreasing the gaps between defensive players. These are gaps that opposition teams thrive on because a fast player can run through that gap and find himself with empty grass to run into.
Mentality is a key issue in rugby. A lot of sides start to think they are beaten in games before the final whistle has actually been blown. It was clear from Gloucester's performance in matches last season, the defence let their heads drop when the opposition were getting points on the board.
The link up play between parts of the side is something the club has been focusing on during pre-season. This is important because if the layers of the team are too far apart then it leaves the defence exposed.
Brown said: "We are in the best shape we have been in for a few years defensively. We made it a huge emphasis this pre-season, mainly due to the fact that we were not particularly strong in that area last year. It has held us up so far in the pre-season games so I am looking forward to the weekend."
The standard is higher
Gloucester will not find that other clubs have been sitting on their hands while they have been working away in pre-season. There is now a bigger pool of clubs expected to fight for the title than ever before.
Bath, Leicester, Saracens, Northampton and Sale are all expected to be fighting at the top end of the table. This means the standard of attacking will also be higher and many sides will have found different ways to move the ball around and score tries.
Brown added: "I think what I have to do is focus on my game, and if that is going well then it is going well. If I play with Jim [Hamilton], great, so it is all good. It is a great addition to the squad. He is an international and it is good to have a guy around who has played at that level."
Betting advice
Gloucester has the quality and the skill needed to finish in the top four by the end of the rugby year and to have a shot at lifting the Premiership title. Wait a game or two and watch the defence closely. If you like what you see and things look very solid then have a punt on the side before the odds on them are slashed.
Obviously avoid backing Brown to score a high volume of points. Also avoid backing any player in the Gloucester second-row. The kicker in the team has a great chance of being the highest scoring player by the end of the season.
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