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Gloucester ring the changes for tonight’s Premiership Rugby Cup game at Bristol

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Friday, 27th September 2019, 10:30

Lewis Ludlow

Only five Gloucester players have retained their starting spots for tonight’s Premiership Rugby Cup game at Bristol after they opened their campaign with a 49-29 defeat at home to London Irish.

Tom Seabrook and Lloyd Evans are the backs who started against London Irish while Henry Walker, Alex Craig and Aaron Hinkley keep their places in the pack.

Those five apart, the rest of the starting line-up – Lewis Ludlow will skipper the team – are getting their first competitive run out of the season with scrum-half Joe Simpson making his debut for the club.

Bristol also lost their opening match in the competition but Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann said that using the squad wisely over the next few weeks is key.

“We’ll mix and match in the next four weeks and see where players are,” he said. “This coming week we’re making a lot of changes and giving some of the more experienced players a hit-out as we get closer to the start of the Gallagher Premiership.

“The challenging thing is that there are still a few weeks to go until the Premiership and this isn’t a friendly, it’s a competitive game and we can’t rotate the squad during the game. Some players will have to go for the full 80 minutes and we have to get the balance right.

“It’s brilliant to start against a side who play a great style of rugby, is well coached by Pat (Lam) and who beat us down there last year. It’s actually a great challenge for us.”

Gloucester: 15. Jason Woodward; 14. Tom Marshall, 13. Tom Seabrook, 12. Matt Banahan, 11. Ollie Thorley; 10. Lloyd Evans, 9. Joe Simpson; 1. Val Rapava Ruskin, 2. Henry Walker, 3. Ruan Dreyer; 4. Alex Craig, 5. Gerbrandt Grobler; 6. Lewis Ludlow (capt), 7. Aaron Hinkley, 8. Ruan Ackermann. Replacements: 16. Todd Gleave, 17. Alex Seville, 18. Jamal Ford-Robinson, 19. Ed Slater, 20. Josh Gray, 21. Charlie Chapman, 22. Billy Twelvetrees, 23. Tom Hudson

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Gloucester ring the changes for tonight’s Premiership Rugby Cup game at Bristol

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