Bigger challenges coming up for developing team

GLORIOUS running rugby still remains the ambition entrenched in the Gloucester psyche.

While that is admirable, it is not always realistic.

Nigel Davies has done well in his short tenure to provide different strains of attack for his Cherry and Whites.

But after a try-laden first-half against Bordeaux, the Kingsholm men started craving that expansive free-flowing style above all else again.

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The anticipated second-half try glut never materialised – and this must serve as stark warning to the new-look Gloucester squad.

Any time you fail to provide the proper groundwork, the craved rewards do not follow.

Leicester will certainly not beat around the bush in the same fashion as Bordeaux did at Kingsholm on Thursday night.

Gloucester can be pleased with their 25-13 win over the French for sustaining momentum.

But offer the Tigers that many avenues into a contest this coming weekend and Davies' men will find themselves in trouble.

By the sounds of the post-match comment, though, no one at Kingsholm needs telling.

Sometimes this developing team still lacks the kind of player who will refocus minds when things are not working.

But they are developing, and hopefully we can expect that kind of reactionary leadership to improve.

The second-half trench warfare against Bordeaux proved little except that the visitors had precious little incision.

Gloucester still offered decent grit, though, even The Shed seemed stunned into near-silence by the lack of further scores.

A certain Jefferson Poirot took the field after the break for the visitors, without a single reference to the Belgian detective.

Pre-match hopes he would trot on sporting a tuxedo and a pair of pince-nez proved sadly unfounded.

A seventh match without defeat will no doubt leave a good atmosphere around the club this week.

But Leicester and Harlequins will offer the most severe tests yet. Win one from two and Gloucester can be fairly pleased with progress.

The outcome of Andy Hazell's disciplinary case this week will be intriguing.

While one Bordeaux player was last week banned for biting in their London Irish defeat, no Mont de Marsan men faced sanction for the allegations of gouging against Gloucester.

Now Hazell can expect punishment of course, but what severity it remains hard to gauge.

Hazell's lashing out was surprising – not least because in times of old, an entire pack would have handled matters en masse.

Perhaps gone are the days where one-in all-in results in no one being reprimanded!

Certainly anyone involved in rugby can have sympathy for Hazell's situation, while not excusing his actions.

Gloucester can only hope the disciplinary men see things the same way.