Gloucester Rugby are set to build on their recent resurgence as they prepare to face Castres Olympique at Kingsholm on Sunday in the opening round of the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup.
After a challenging start to their Gallagher Premiership season with five consecutive losses, Gloucester have found their rhythm. Recent back-to-back victories over Sale Sharks and Bath Rugby in the Premiership Rugby Cup have injected new life into the squad. Last weekend, key players including flanker Lewis Ludlow, centre Seb Atkinson, and loosehead prop Val Rapava-Ruskin made their returns from injury, helping Gloucester secure a 26-15 win against Harlequins.
With momentum building and many standout players rested in recent weeks, Director of Rugby George Skivington will maintain stability for this crucial European fixture, opting for just one change to the starting lineup. Skivington emphasized the importance of performing strongly at home as Gloucester look to progress beyond the pool stages, aiming to surpass last season’s achievements.
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Previewing the encounter with the French Top 14 side, who currently sit eighth in their domestic league, Skivington said, “Our main focus is on Castres. It’s a home game and a tough test, particularly up front. Castres play an effective brand of rugby, making this a real challenge for us.”
He added, “Playing at home gives us an advantage and we’re determined to get the win. After this, we’ll prepare for Munster away next week. We’ve got a nine-week stretch ahead, and our goal is for the team to be in top form by the end of it.”
Skivington highlighted the team’s targets: “We’ve identified areas for improvement and expect significant progress over this period. If we succeed, we’ll climb out of our early Premiership slump and position ourselves well in Europe.”
The match kicks off at 3:15 pm on Sunday.
Gloucester Rugby Starting XV:
15 Ben Redshaw, 14 Will Joseph, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Tomos Williams (C), 1 Ciaran Knight, 2 Seb Blake, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 4 Freddie Thomas, 5 Matias Alemanno, 6 Deian Gwynne, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 8 Will Trenholm
Replacements:
16 Jack Innard, 17 Val Rapava Ruskin, 18 Afo Fasogbon, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Josh Basham, 21 Mikey Austin, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Rob Russell
Castres Olympique Starting XV:
15 Theo Chabouni, 14 Christian Ambadiang, 13 Vuate Karawalevu, 12 Vilimoni Botitu, 11 Rémy Baget, 10 Pierre Popelin, 9 Jeremy Fernandez, 1 Quentin Walcker, 2 Loris Zarantonello, 3 Aurelien Azar, 4 Guillaume Ducat, 5 Florent Vanverberghe, 6 Baptiste Delaporte (c), 7 Baptiste Cope, 8 Veresa Ramototabua
Replacements:
16 Teddy Durand-Pradere, 17 Atunaisa Sokobale, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Gauthier Maravat, 20 Abraham Papalii, 21 Gauthier Doubrere, 22 Enzo Herve, 23 Jack Goodhue
Match Officials:
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Sco)
Assistant Referees: Ian Kenny (Sco), Finlay Brown (Sco)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Sco)
Citing Commissioner: Stuart Morgan-Scott (Wal)