Gloucester Rugby’s director of rugby, George Skivington, commended his team’s unwavering endeavour after their narrow 25-19 loss to Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park. Although the Cherry and Whites suffered their eighth league defeat, their determined performance amidst adversity did not go unnoticed.
Newcastle secured their first Gallagher Premiership victory of the season through tries from George McGuigan and Tom Christie. However, Gloucester’s Ollie Thorley responded, keeping their hopes alive. The match saw yellow cards shown to Jamie Hodgson and Arthur Clark, and later a red card for Thorley, which impacted Gloucester’s momentum.
Newcastle’s Brett Connon contributed key penalties before Simon Benitez Cruz extended their lead early in the second half. Despite a strong late surge from Gloucester, capped by converted tries from Mikey Austin and Ciaran Knight, they couldn’t overturn the Falcons' advantage.
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In a squad tested by injuries, Gloucester fielded several young players, including 18-year-old Will Knight making his Premiership debut and loanee Will Crane stepping in at hooker on short notice. Skivington highlighted the challenges of constant lineup changes but praised the team’s commitment: “We’ve got a handful of 18-year-olds out there, a couple of nines new to the Premiership, and a hooker who joined this week. They’re playing with real endeavour and working hard, even though the connections aren’t quite there yet.”
Newcastle head coach Alan Dickens lauded his team’s “fantastic” performance, especially the defensive resilience shown by replacements late in the game. Despite Newcastle sitting at the bottom of the table with just one win in nine matches, Dickens expressed confidence in their recent improvement and the squad’s ongoing progress.
Reflecting on the match, Dickens said, “We started strongly and scored early points. Though we wished to be further ahead late in the game, credit to Gloucester for their fightback. The players have been fantastic all season and tonight’s win reflects our building momentum.”
Both teams now turn their focus to the challenges ahead as the Premiership season continues.