Robinson: Gloucester nearing full fitness
Gloucester's Nicky Robinson says the team are nearing full fitness ahead of a very tough Premiership season.
Gloucester have been one of the few clubs over the course of the pre-season campaign who have stayed under the radar and have avoided any media attention.
Robinson says the players in the squad are ready to go and could start their league campaign tomorrow if they were made to. The fly-half says Gloucester are a dark horse in a league where many teams have spent a lot of money this summer.
Gloucester have a lot going for them and possess many qualities as a team that mean they should not be disregarded as possible title contenders in the Premiership. However, the season will be long and tough and they are short in a few areas of the team.
Team qualities
Gloucester have a very good work ethic and team spirit. This is because they have managed to keep the basic shape and format of their team the same over the last few seasons. Not too many players have left and not too many players have come in.
They have a well liked and respected leader in outside centre Mike Tindall. Tindall can put smiles on faces and Robinson says that he has made pre-season a fun place to be instead of a depressing fitness camp.
The side have trimmed well over the last two seasons. This has allowed them to form a very compact and organised playing squad. Everyone knows their role in the team and everyone knows they will have a chance to play. This is better than some clubs who have six or seven players for the same position.
Robinson said: "[Pre-season] We're in our second week. It's gone well. There's not too much running at the moment. He did well last year when he took over the reins but things have changed a lot with what we're doing now, as it does with different fitness coaches and their different opinions - He wants us to be quite a fit squad so we'll be doing a lot more running, a lot more than we did the last pre-season."
Short in a few areas
Gloucester are short in a few areas of their team, which means they could be stretched of injuries trouble them during the course of the season. This is demonstrated by the fact that they only have two players at number eight in Luke Narraway and Matthew Cox.
The problem is that if a lot of players get injured then squad members are going to be asked to play in positions that they do not necessarily favour. This means they will be doing jobs they are not experienced at and mistakes will start to appear in the team.
Robinson added: "I'm excited about this year. I was obviously excited last year but more about not knowing what to expect. This year I've had a season under my belt and I really feel as if I have learnt a huge amount of what it takes to be successful in this league."
Betting advice
Gloucester will be very hard pushed to mount a strong challenge for the Premiership title. Their best chance is of aiming for a play-off position because they can beat anyone on any day.
Robinson could score a few points in matches over the season. Playing at fly-half means he will be involved in the heart of the action and his kicking is not the worst in the world. Back him and the side to do well but avoid any bets on them to win the league outright.
Tags: