George Skivington expressed deep frustration after Gloucester Rugby endured a heavy 45-14 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in Round Seven of the 2025/26 Gallagher Premiership. The Cherry and Whites' director of rugby pinpointed crucial errors, especially a costly yellow card just before halftime, as the decisive moment that swung the match firmly in Leicester’s favor.
Charlie Atkinson’s yellow card on 39 minutes led directly to a penalty try, marking the turning point. Attempting to prevent Ollie Hassell-Collins from scoring, Atkinson made an illegal tackle while off his feet outside the deadball area. Up to that moment, Gloucester had struggled to find rhythm, but the penalty try propelled Leicester from a 12-0 lead to an almost insurmountable 19-0 advantage by halftime, including tries from James Thompson and Solomone Kata.
With Gloucester reduced to 14 men, Leicester capitalized further with a double from Tom Whiteley and Tommy Reffell early in the second half, effectively sealing the game more than 30 minutes before full time. Additional tries by Billy Searle and Ollie Chessum deepened Gloucester’s woes.
READ MORE: James Martin Flooded with Congratulations Amid Engagement Rumors on ITV
READ MORE: Chef James Martin Reflects on Leaving Saturday Kitchen: “It Was the Right Time”
Reflecting on the pivotal yellow card, Skivington said, “It is what it is. During that period with the penalty try, they scored three tries in quick succession. When it was 12-0, after their early opportunistic tries, I believed we were gaining a foothold, but conceding 21 points in ten minutes made the game extremely difficult.”
Gloucester managed late tries through Josh Hathaway and Jack Clement, with Ross Byrne converting both, but these only served as consolation.
Skivington added, “I didn’t see this coming tonight. We’ve had a positive six weeks and I thought we were well-prepared. Losing a couple of key players to injury early wasn’t ideal, but our accuracy simply wasn’t there today.”
The injury list from the match includes hooker Seb Blake (hand injury) and winger Rob Russell (leg injury). Hathaway was briefly substituted for a Head Injury Assessment but returned, whereas centre Seb Atkinson failed his HIA late in the match, putting his availability for the upcoming game against Saracens in doubt.
Skivington further emphasized the missed opportunities: “We made plenty of line breaks and had good shape, creating chances, but we dropped the ball too often and made costly errors. Early turnovers gave Leicester chances to score immediately, especially in the second half. When you face teams here, you must be clinical.
“Our game plan was solid, but repeated mistakes punished us. The Tigers sometimes seemed content to let us make errors as they advanced downfield. We need to review this closely.”
Concluding, Skivington remarked, “This result is a real slap round the face. Welford Road is never an easy venue, but I expected us to compete strongly. Unfortunately, our lack of accuracy was our undoing.”