Gloucester head coach George Skivington is already looking ahead to the challenge Leinster pose following his side’s 22-17 come-from-behind win over Bordeaux-Begles.
A thrilling encounter at Kingsholm on Saturday saw the Cherry and Whites overturn a 17-5 deficit with 16 minutes to play to defeat the French outfit.
Chapman seals the win
Substitute scrum-half Charlie Chapman completed Gloucester’s fightback three minutes from full-time as the hosts ground out a narrow win over Bordeaux, the try securing the bonus point too.
Abrasive back-rower Albert Tuisue scored the opening try for Gloucester, which spurred the team, with scrum-half Stephen Varney and hooker Santiago Socino grabbing five-pointers.
Santiago Carreras added one conversion, with two of his attempts charged down by Bordeaux, who were left wondering how they let things slip after dominating the opening hour. The French side opened a 12-point lead thanks to tries from Sipili Falatea and Tom Willis.
Focus turns to Leinster
Leinster laid down a marker in their opening match, scoring six tries in a 42-10 away win, and Skivington is excited to take on the Irish province.
“You are pretty much playing Ireland,” Gloucester head coach Skivington said.
“They’ve gone to Racing and beat them 42-10, which is pretty unbelievable. I am intrigued to watch that game because I thought it would be a close match.
“We are up against the favourites for the tournament at their place, but it is exciting as well.
“You can’t win the Premiership, the Champions Cup, if you don’t go and play these tough teams away.
Finding a way to win
“Sometimes, you have just got to win, and the boys found a way to win today,” Skivington added.
“There is lots to review and lots that wasn’t perfect, but you have got to find a way to win. Their attitude and fighting spirit is never in doubt, and that came through for them in the end.
“We played some decent rugby in the first half, but it didn’t quite stick for us. It was a little bit sticky, and it felt like every time they got to the try line, they scored.”
Skivington praised the level-headed approach from his side in the second half as they eventually went on to win the match, but he emphasised that they aren’t the finished product.
“But we didn’t panic at half-time. Fair play to the boys; they worked their way into the game, ground Bordeaux down and eventually won,” he said.
“We are trying to push our game, push the envelope, so there is a risk factor with that, and we are definitely not the finished article.”