Pressure on men at the top at Glaws

Top level rugby is no stranger to pressure on the pitch, but there's going to be a lot off it at Kingsholm when the new season starts with both the chief coach and the executive chairman feeling their way in new jobs.

Joint owner and chief “suit” Ryan Walkinshaw has admitted that he will be relying on advice from many others as he feels his way into top rugby administration, but new coach Nigel Davies hopefully won’t be needing so much guidance.

Recruited from Scarlets with a top pedigree in the Welsh game, Davies is testing himself in the Premiership pressure cooker and the fans will be hoping he makes a success of his cross-border switch.

Walkinshaw believes he will.

As pre-season training gets under way, he told the Citizen: "Nigel's reputation goes without saying, the amount of players developed under his reign at the Scarlets was very, very impressive.

"It wasn't the only thing we looked for, of course, but he has a lot of other skills to bring to the squad.

"We are excited about his ability to develop young talent, there's some huge potential from the younger players in our squad.

"With some senior players moving on it's time for some of these younger guys to step up, and I don't know of any other coach out there that I would trust to bring these guys forward more than Nigel.”

Walkinshaw admits he has had a lot to learn since his father Tom’s death a year and a half ago and he added: "The learning curve has been extremely steep, but hugely fulfilling and enjoyable at the same time.

"It's been hard work and there's been a lot of things going on.

"Winning in Europe is the biggest challenge for the club I think. I do want to give as much as I can to Gloucester, but I also need to ensure I can give as much as possible to the other companies too.”