Skivington shares thoughts ahead of formidable Leinster challenge

Two winners from Round 1 will do battle in Dublin this weekend as Irish giants Leinster host the Cherry & Whites.

Last weekend, Leinster showed just how much of a force they will be in this instalment of the Champions Cup as they wiped the floor with French Top 14 heavyweights, Racing 92:

Meanwhile, Gloucester snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at Kingsholm as they toppled a spirited Bordeaux outfit in the final stanza of the match:

This weekend, Leinster will enjoy the feel of their home-ground amid the voice of their enthusiastic supporters, but Gloucester boss George Skivington is looking forward to seeing an army of Cherry & White-clad loyals give the Leinster-faithful a good run for their money.

“I’m always blown away by the travelling support and how they can manage to be louder than the home support at a lot of grounds,” Skivington said.

“It will be exciting over there, obviously Leinster’s crowd will be passionate and intense, but we hope to see as many people in Cherry & White jerseys as possible.”

Reflecting the their victory last weekend, Skivington had the following to say:

“Bordeaux are a really good team. It was a massively physical game on the weekend, they came at us with the maul and a few bits and pieces so there were some good challenges for us. We tried to be brave first half which is what we asked the lads to do.

“We didn’t quite execute the plays and come away with enough points but that came together second half and in particular the last 20 I thought the boys were outstanding.”

Skivington was also quick to gives Leinster their dues.

“They’re a very well-oiled machine, they beat Racing 10-42 on the weekend which was very, very impressive. They have a lot of Ireland players, so they play together a lot in high intensity environments.

“I know Stuart Lancaster very well and he’s been very generous with his time for me over the last few years and he’s a seriously sharp operator. It’s certainly no small challenge.”

The festive season is a daunting prospect for most coaches and player management becomes a specialised artform. Gloucester’s victory over Bordeaux came at a cost with a few players picking up injuries.

“We always challenge ourselves as a squad to solve problems but there’s nothing like the pressure of a game,” Skivington continued.

“The boys were cool and came up with some good solutions, and the boys coming off the bench made a good impact.

“It’s a real challenge, we have a lot of tough games through this period, so we have to be sensible. We have a few bangs and it’s a short training week, so we have to be smart and take lads that are fresh and the lads going over there are really excited for the challenge.”