About Clive Woodward:

"The other story they loved was the time early in his reign, when bookmakers were offering odds on the identity Woodward's first ENgland captain. "Austin Healey came up with one list of prices quoting him at 350 - 1. He said: I've got £20,000. If you want to match it were out of here.'"

(Guardian)


Zurich Premiership rivals Gloucester and Sale will clash in this season's Parker Pen European Shield semi-finals.

Gloucester, who reached the Heineken Cup semi-finals last term, were drawn first but will not have the advantage of playing the game at Kingsholm. The tie will definitely take place in England, though.

London Irish have also been handed that advantage, hosting Welsh outsiders Pontypridd.
Irish reached the last four after a crushing 38-9 win in Pau. But Pontypridd also hit top gear, dumping out quarter-final opponents Saracens 17-15 at Vicarage Road.
For the first time in shield history, no French clubs made the last four - and tonight's draw has increased the prospect of a first all-English final.

Gloucester are due to host Sale in a Premiership game next month, which will prove an intriguing dress rehearsal for their shield showdown.
Venues have yet to be announced, but the ties are scheduled to take place on April 27/28.

Vickery on the Local Derby!

"We are not playing particularly well at the moment, but we're looking to keep improving and keep winning," he said. "I don't think that the league title race is over by any means, yet games like Bath at the Recreation Ground are the type whereby we have got to stand up and be counted."

Gloucester's four league victories from 22 starts against Bath have all been at Kingsholm, although they did win away in the Tetley's Bitter Cup last season, sending their hosts packing 24-18. Bath are 16 points and nine places below Gloucester, having suffered seven league reversals already, so the form guide points emphatically to an away win. But England tighthead Vickery doesn't see it as such a clear-cut issue.

"Bath are a quality team when they get things together. They are always tough to beat at home, and while they might be out of form at the moment, it is still going to be a very difficult test for us," he added. (SCRUM.com)

IS IT ALL BULL?

Gloucester have confirmed that they will unveil a major new signing next week, and it is widely rumoured to be rugby league recruit, Henry Paul, the New Zealand and Bradford star stand-off. According to reports in an English newspaper, Paul is set to sign a four-year deal with the west country club, when his contract with the Bulls expires at the end of the current Super League season. The Kingsholm club refused to comment on the signing on Friday, but did confirm that a major new signing would be announced by the club early next week. Paul spent a few short months playing union at Bath five years ago alongside Sale and Lions convert Jason Robinson, who has been in devastating form since he made the switch to union eight months ago. England boss Clive Woodward is a known admirer of the older Paul brother and has targeted the English qualified Kiwi has part of his assault on the 2003 World Cup competition which takes place in Australasia. The 27-year-old is thought to have agreed a lucrative four-year contract at Kingsholm and is the latest big name to arrive at Gloucester after Wallaby misfit Jason Little left for nearby Bristol following a mixed nine months at the club. Gloucester are backed by millionaire owner Tom Walkinshaw, who is also the owner of the Arrows Formula One team, and have money to spend following Little's departure and All Black second row legend Ian Jones' retirement. (Planet-Rugby.com)

O'LEARY FOR GLOS!

Daren O'Leary has signed for Gloucester on a two-year contract, ending speculation over his future after being released by Harlequins. O'Leary joins a lengthy list of new signings at Kingsholm as Philippe Saint-Andre looks to rebuild the side after a disappointing 2000/01 season. The deal is apparently not yet finalised, although managing director Ken Nottage is expected to discuss the matter with Saint-Andre and Tom Walkinshaw over the weekend. O'Leary, meanwhile, fully expects to be playing in front of the Kingsholm faithful next season.(TeamTALK)

KINGSLEY'S FUTURE IN DOUBT!

Gloucester will release Kingsley Jones following the signing of Wakefield open-side flanker Carl Houston, providing the Welshman wants to leave. Even though last season's captain has 12 months of his contract to run, he has been given permission to speak to other clubs. The arrival of Houston and the emergence of England tourist Andrew Hazell will mean the 30-year-old facing an even tougher battle for the No 7 shirt. Worcester and their new head coach, former Gloucester assistant John Brain, will lead the race to sign Jones although Pontypridd are also interested in bringing him back to Wales. www.teamtalk.com

"LIONS" £5 PER POINT SCORED TO CHARITY!

Zurich, an official sponsor of the Lions, announced today that they will donate £5 to charity per point scored and £250 per hat-trick scored by any Lions player on the Lions' Tour to Australia. The donations will go to Blyth Spirit, a charity set up to help Andy Blyth, the former Sale Sharks rugby player who suffered a serious spinal injury in a game last year. A portion of the cash will be given to the NHS-funded Spinal Unit at the Stanmore Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital where Andy was treated, and an amount will be donated to Aspire, the spinal injuries charity.

TWO MORE SIGNINGS FOR GLOS!

Gloucester have captured the signature of 27-year-old Diego Albanese. He has signed for two years but will not be going to Gloucester yet because he is currently with Argentina," said Forni, his agent. "He is a good signing for Gloucester because he is a very professional player and is a very tough and aggressive winger. Pucciarello has signed for one year. He wants to come to England because of Philippe Saint-Andre and Laurent Seigne - for him they are the best coaches. (teamtalk.com)

O'Leary for GLOS?

Daren O'Leary, the most prolific try scorer in the English Premiership, is the latest winger to be linked with a move to Gloucester. Gloucester have held talks with O'Leary's agent with a view to signing the out-of-contract Harlequin, who has been released from The Stoop following the arrival of Dan Luger. Philippe Saint-Andre is desperate to recruit some top quality wings, with his only current option, Tom Beim, sidelined until next January at the earliest with a shoulder problem. He is close to a deal with Grenoble's Argentinian Diego Albanese and O'Leary, 27, who has scored 106 tries in 166 games for Quins, would give him some real additional firepower. "Daren is out of contract at Quins and considering his options," said his agent Mike Burton. "Philippe Saint-Andre is very keen on him because Gloucester had difficulty containing him when Harlequins came to Kingsholm." (www.teamtalk.com)

Simpson-Daniel signs for Gloucester!

James Simpson-Daniel has finally signed a two-year deal to stay at Gloucester, rejecting Bristol's offer to team up with his brother Chris. Along with Jason Little, Bristol offered Simpson-Daniel a lucrative move to the Memorial Stadium, where his scrum-half brother has just signed a two-year contract. However, the England Under-19 international, who burst into the first team last season, is happy at Kingsholm and put pen to paper with his agent John Partridge in Leeds yesterday. "If it was just about money I wouldn't be here but there wasn't really any chance of me leaving," said Simpson-Daniel, 19 next Wednesday. "I feel settled at Gloucester and I have been very well treated by them. I have just started to get some confidence and I feel it's right to stay." . (TeamTalk)

Smyler Says:

First Richard Hill, and now PSA, took on the task of bringing a up to date what was effectively a dinosaur. The Dinosaur has come along way but there is still some way to go. PSA has shown considerable vision in both the recruitment and development of players and we are now second in the league BECAUSE of what he has done not inspite of it. Yes, at times things seem a bit chaotic at times, but would we ever have got to this stage without the chaos? Glaws had been underachievers for years and had a reputation that meant no prospective England international worth his salt would even consider coming to play here., thankfully we’re starting to challenge that.

Inspite of what he’s done PSA has had to endure constant criticism and sniping and will continue to do so regardless of any success that comes Glaws way. The reason? In order to make Glaws a successful club he’s had to tread on toes and offend sensibilities. There is still more of that to come, the club is not yet the finished article by any means. Many, possibly most, would have walked away, but it is a testament to PSA’s love for, and commitment to, Glaws that he takes it week in week out and will continue to do so for as long as he’s given the opportunity.

Richards, Steele, Callard and Melville are dealing with different creatures, consistently successful and prestigious clubs without many of the problems that existed at Glaws . None of them have ever had to stage the kind of revolution PSA has. Would they have coped? Would they have had the vision? Maybe, but in some of those cases I doubt it. Even if they had, would they have been prepared to see it through at Glaws? Absolutely no way. I also have no doubt that, to a man, none of them would tolerate a hint of public criticism from within their squad. Gomars posted a message on a website that was highly critical of PSA and got found out. Just how would Dean Richards respond to that?

I thought PSA’s offer to resign after the Wasps game last season was totally appropriate. An indication that he understood the feelings of the supporters and was prepared to take responsibility himself for what went on on the field. The offer appropriate and TW’s refusal to accept it correct.

PSA has brought Glaws a long way and still has the appetite for more. If we lose him we go back to square one with a new coach and risk losing much of what we’ve achieved. Some people point to the rumours and apparent problems as evidence of need for change. This will happen at Glaws whoever is DoR. Not only that, but there will also be problems between superstars and coaches whoever is in charge, it’s the nature of the beast.

(With acknowledgements to the world famous Kingsholm Chronicle and of course the anonymous Smyler).!

WILL PHILIPPE BE STAYING?

Gloucester's Ken Nottage has insisted that coach Philippe Saint-Andre is in discussions regarding a new contract, despite rumours of him leaving.
Although The Cherry and Whites are second in the Premiership and riding high at the top of their Parker Pen Shield pool, there have been no clear signs of Saint-Andre staying at the end of the season when his current deal runs out.
A host of French clubs are queuing up to take on Saint-Andre but Gloucester managing director Nottage said: "Philippe is talking with the chairman Tom Walkinshaw and it is a matter between the two of them.
"Discussions have been ongoing and at the moment they are crunching numbers." (TeamTALK)

KINGSHOLM OR?

Tom Walkinshaw has admitted some of the facilities at Kingsholm are not up to standard and has commissioned architects to look at improving them.
Owner Walkinshaw will look at ways of improving the ground rather than move to another site, but will involve the supporters in the final decision.
"If we ever have more than 9,000 at Kingsholm, some people can't see what's going on," said Walkinshaw. "We have a license for more but that doesn't always matter. "If we had a stadium that would hold 12-14,000 in comfort I think we'd be getting crowds at that level and Kingsholm may not be the right site to achieve that.
"We're exploring all the opportunities we can and when we find the right one we'll bring it back to the fans and ask them if they support it. I promised a complete club decision in the beginning and that's what it'll be." (TeamTALK)

“LITTLE RETURN?”

It was an unhappy return to Kingsholm on Saturday for Jason Little who arrived at Bristol during the summer after a troubled spell at Gloucester.
The Bristol skipper spent an unhappy 12 months at Kingsholm with The Cherry and Whites so last Saturday's return with The Shoguns was never going to be easy for the former Australian international centre.
"I thought the odds were against us when we were unable to raise a tug of war team from our supporters for the pre-match duel. Perhaps we should have quit then," Little said.
In the end Gloucester ran out the 51-17 victors, their biggest ever winning margin and most number of points scored against Bristol scoring six tries to two to leap-frog above their neighbours in the table.
"Gloucester were a lot better than us, but I thought we played well until Garath Archer was sent off," Little said. "It made it difficult for us, but there is no way I can be disappointed with the effort.
"It would be hard enough to win at Kingsholm with 16 men, never mind 13. I am very disappointed, but I was pleased with the team's contribution with 13 players because that was exceptional.
"We kept them at bay for some twenty minutes after the break without conceding another point but then to have Julian White sent to the Sin-Bin was going to make things worse.
"I'm sure that we can bounce back from this to face Bath, we are a young squad in terms of age and length of time we have been together but we need to put the Gloucester game behind us and move on."
(TeamTalk)

Mannix welcomes Paul's arrival!

Simon Mannix has welcomed the arrival of Henry Paul even though he is in most danger of being squeezed out by the rugby league star. Paul, who will be unveiled at the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane, London this afternoon, can play anywhere in the back-line but is set to play at full-back or, most likely fly-half for the Cherry and Whites. Mannix turned down an offer from Biarritz and the chance to play in the Heineken Cup to stay at Kingsholm as Philippe Saint-Andre's first-choice No 10. Now, however, he not only faces a battle with Ludovic Mercier and James Simpson-Daniel but Paul when his fellow Kiwi arrives from Bradford in October. However, Mannix said: "I'm really excited about Henry Paul's arrival. He is a world-class rugby player and he has proved that in his chosen sport. "All I am concerned about is that Gloucester have a winning team and we can be genuine title contenders for the Premiership and force our way back into the European Cup. "I, like everybody, am going to wait and see how he adjusts to the demands of rugby union and in particular fly-half. It's going to be very interesting to see how quickly such a quality player gets the full understanding of rugby union." Chris Catling is also under threat from Paul although Saint-Andre may want to involve the 27-year-old more in the game than from full-back. (TeamTALK)

CATLING TO LEAVE GLOUCESTER?

Chris Catling appears on the verge of leaving Gloucester with Philippe Saint-Andre unlikely to include him in his first-team plans next season. Catling, who switched to wing last term, is now reckoned to be behind new-signing Christian Stoica and academy product Duncan Murray for the Number 15 jersey. The 25-year-old moved to Kingsholm from Exeter, and ''crazy legs'' as he was affectionately known by the Shed, made a rapid impact. His club form earned him England A honours but a weakness with his kicking from hand appeared to blunt his progress. (TeamTALK)

SEWABU FOR GLOUCESTER!

Gloucester have signed Fiji international back-row forward Kolinio Sewabu from French club Begles-Bordeaux in a two-year deal. The good news for Gloucester is that the club do not have to hand over any transfer fee despite the 26-year-old still having another year to run on his present contract with Bordeaux. The player had insisted that he would not play for Begles-Bordeaux and wanted to move to Kingsholm and Gloucester coach Philippe Saint-Andre had a personal meeting with the chairman and president at the French club which resulted in any fee being waived. (TeamTALK.com)

CHRIS YATES GOES TO WORCESTER!