Gloucester Rugby suffered a 30-21 defeat at the hands of Saracens in Round Eight of the Gallagher Premiership at a packed Kingsholm Stadium on Saturday. Despite efforts from locks Freddie Thomas and Arthur Clark, Gloucester struggled to find cohesion, ultimately overshadowed by Saracens’ strong performance with tries from Theo Dan, Theo MacFarland (two), and captain Ivan Van Zyl.
15 Charlie Atkinson – 5
Atkinson had a quiet outing, his impact limited by Gloucester’s backline struggles in creating and converting chances. A key moment highlighted the team’s disjointed approach when Atkinson opted to kick through the ball instead of exploiting an overlap in the first half, illustrating the ‘different hymn sheets’ Gloucester were singing.
14 Ben Loader – N/A
Loader exited early due to a hamstring injury after just 15 minutes.
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13 Will Butler – N/A
Sidelined after four minutes with a head injury assessment and did not return.
12 Seb Atkinson – 6
Faced with limited creativity upfront, Atkinson was often met by Saracens’ resolute defense as he carried the ball through the middle.
11 Ollie Thorley – 6
Produced a memorable show-and-go from inside his half in the second half that energized the home crowd and brought Gloucester close to scoring.
10 Ross Byrne – 5
With Gloucester dominated in possession, Byrne’s influence was muted. He converted two kicks but struggled against wind conditions when kicking from hand.
9 Tomos Williams – 5
Williams dazzled with his gymnastic offload leading to Arthur Clark’s try but faded in the second half due to a dead leg before being replaced late in the game.
1 Val Rapava-Ruskin – 5
Competitive at scrums but gave away key penalties that disrupted Gloucester’s momentum.
2 Jack Innard – 5
Struggled with lineout accuracy but remained active in open play.
3 Afo Fasogbon – 5
4 Freddie Thomas – 5
Showed good awareness in scoring Gloucester’s opening try following a well-timed tip line catch.
5 Arthur Clark – 6
Busy throughout, including a crucial charge down and scoring off Williams’ brilliant pass.
6 James Venter – 4
Returned from injury but had little impact before being replaced early in the second half.
7 Lewis Ludlow – 6
Led by example with a standout try-saving tackle and relentless work rate at breakdowns—a strong and proud display.
8 Jack Clement – 5
Made some promising breaks but struggled to influence a challenging match for Gloucester.
Replacements:
16 George Knowles – N/A
17 Ciaran Knight – 5
18 Jamal Ford-Robinson – 5
19 Cam Jordan – 4
20 Harry Taylor – N/A
21 Mikey Austin – 5
22 Will Knight – 6 – Scored a late consolation try with a sharp finish.
23 Josh Hathaway – 4
Overall, Gloucester appeared disconnected throughout the match, their lack of cohesion proving costly against an efficient Saracens side.