there was a school report on Gloucester Rugby for the 2012-13 season, how would it read?  On balance it would probably be a positive one, but there would be caveats about the need to carry this through into the new school year.  We should be far from negative, as we’ve come a long way in the past twelve months.

Consider where we were last summer.  Bryan Redpath had thrown in the towel, for reasons that will probably never be truly revealed.  It was clear that player morale was back to where it had been when Dean Ryan left (or Nigel Melville before that!), and the season had ended with a typical Gloucester whimper, with a place in the Losers’ Cup all that we had to look forward to.  The fans were revolting – aren’t they always – and Shedweb made miserable reading.

A year later, we’re in the Heineken Cup, with trips to Perpignan, Edinburgh and Limerick just around the corner.  We finished fifth in the AP, should have made the play-offs, and optimism abounds.  Before the euphoria overtakes us all, it’s time for a balanced look at last season, and a realistic prediction for the coming one.

Let’s start with Nigel Davies, who to some is Gloucester’s version of ‘the special one’.  It’s hard to say anything other than that he has, so far, been tremendous for us.  I like the fact that he prowls the touchline, that he speaks well when interviewed, and that there’s clearly a big rugby brain at work.  He clearly understands about man motivation, and he has bought into the Gloucester myth – more about that later.

That’s all good, but he hasn’t so far managed to resolve the team’s tendency to self-destruct against modest opposition.  The loss at home to London Irish, and the abject capitulation away at Sale are hard to explain, as is, to a lesser extent, the thrashing at home by Biarritz, and Davies didn’t ever say anything about those defeats that persuaded me he was on top of the problem.  Maybe he feels that he knows the reasons, and he doesn’t have to explain them, but he needs to fix them, as it’s a Gloucester habit that has gone on for far too long.  Gloucester is still seen as a team that ‘bottles’ it when it really matters, and it is very hard to argue with that.

My personal view is that the whole mythology about a rugby city, passionate fans, the Shed, blah, blah, blah, is a double-edged sword.  I think that the players are consistently ‘bigged up’ too much – made to feel too much like superstars when they walk down the street, and so on – and that leads to complacency.  I think that when the team wins, there’s a tendency to go over the top and start believing their own publicity, and when the going gets tough, they struggle to cope with the weight of expectation.  Look at Leicester Tigers: what is it that makes them so much stronger mentally than Glaws (and don’t trot out the salary cap nonsense as that’s just a feeble excuse)?

They have passionate fans (more in number than we have), they have the Crumbie, but they also have an ethos that is very, very special, and which transcends individual players.  Would Anthony Allen have become the player he is had he stayed at Gloucester?  I think not, as he would twice have gone through the cycle of the Gloucester team being disaffected with the Head Coach, and that would have impacted upon his performances.  Anyway, that’s just my view on the Glaws lapses into mediocrity, but I’m sure that there are other just as likely ones.

The acid test for Nigel Davies isn’t whether he can get us playing sparkling rugby, but whether he can give the Gloucester squad some balls as big as those that the Tigers have.  Can he instill in our lads the will to ruthlessly grind moderate opposition into the dirt, and the desire to drag something extra out of themselves when they meet a top European side.  I hope that he can, but that sort of culture change doesn’t happen overnight.

So, what about the prospects for Glaws in the coming season?

As always, it all hinges on the pack.  At times we looked really good, but on other occasions our front five looked as though they would be better off in the Championship.  The loss of Alex Brown part way through the season didn’t help, and neither did the injury to Rupert Harden, but I was never entirely convinced by Carl Hogg.  Lots of positive words have been written about him, and Dean Ryan, who is nobody’s fool, has promoted him, but the fact is that Hogg was associated with the good times and the bad – he deserves the plaudits for the former, but he can’t duck a share of the responsibility for our failings.  I’m glad that there will be a change in forwards’ coach for the new season – I think it was overdue.    Again, just one man’s opinion.  I’d love it to be Olivier Azam who, despite being French, understands more about Glaws than most, but it seems unlikely, despite his close links with the Walkinshaw family.

Similarly, I don’t believe that Jim Hamilton will be missed as much as some reckon.  I have always felt that, like Will James, he went to ground far too easily for a big man, and at Glaws he was allowed to get away with that for far too long.  Interestingly, with Scotland he tries to stay on his feel longer, and he can do it…just not with Glaws.  Again, my hunch is that our forwards’ coaching regime has been lacking.

Now to our backs, where we are not short of talent.  However, that talent didn’t deliver last season – there should have been many more tries, and that has to be down to coaching.  I’m a huge fan of Tinds as a player, and I desperately hope that he’ll be equally successful as a coach, but the jury is out.  This is make or break season for him, as if that talented back line doesn’t start to cut opponents to shreds, questions will have to be asked.

At half-back, Freddie isn’t the finished article, but he’s heading that way as long as his feet are kept on the ground, and similar comments apply to Dan Lewis.  Here’s hoping Jimmy Cowan is back promptly next season as he was what we lacked in the crunch games last back-end.  Our new Welsh 9 is exciting, but I’ll reserve judgement until we’ve seen him in the AP rather than the RaboDirect.

So, glass half full or half empty?  My expectations for next season are simple.  Nothing less than top four will do – if we could finish fifth in a season of ‘transition’ then there can be no excuses for failing to achieve one place better in 2013-14.  As an aside, Leicester don’t seem to do transition, as they have a structure and ethos that transcends individual players and coaches – that’s what we need to cultivate, and I believe that Nigel Davies’ management skills can give us that.  Put simply, I’d like us to be nastier!

As for the Heineken Cup, home wins against Munster, Perpignan and Edinburgh are essential – again, no excuses please.  If we could win one game on the road I’d be thrilled, probably back in God’s Own Country is most likely.  I don’t regard a HC quarter-final as a necessity, although it would be nice!  European success tends to come after a consistent spell in the top-flight competition rather than occasionally mixing with the also-rans – a club of Gloucester’s standing should feel a deep sense of shame every time they fall into the Amlin.  It’s simply unacceptable.

However, going back to a point I made earlier, my biggest wish is that Nigel Davies manages to put an end to the occasional humiliations that have afflicted most recent seasons – we can all cast our minds back to inexplicable and bizarre losses.  If the coaches can eradicate that mental failing, then things are set pretty fair.

Exerter40 Gloucester 39

Damned if I know what to make of this Gloucester team.  Make no mistake, although the margin of defeat was slim, Exeter outplayed us in most departments – our first-half tries were well taken, but all came off their mistakes rather than our creativity.  Even when we went ahead with just a few minutes to go, I had this feeling that we’d throw it away, and we did.

We didn’t learn much from this game, as our shortcomings were already clear.  Our pack is underpowered, and I’m not convinced about our technique and coaching – the Exeter scrum was tighter and better than ours.  Our line-out faltered again, with dodgy throwing at the heart of our problems – you can have the best second rows you want, but if the hooker can’t throw straight and true, then you’re in trouble.  It has happened to us too often this season.

We were second best at the breakdown – Exeter were more physical, and knew when it was right to throw more men in.  Again, we’ve been turned over too many times this season.

We like to praise our backline, but what we’ve got is pace, not skill.  If our wingers get decent ball then they’re deadly, but we just can’t recycle the ball, and offload, well enough to compete consistently at the highest level.  Our backs also slip off too many tackles – far too many in fact.

Now to individuals.

Rob Cook did well, and if the disgusting post from our Sale ‘friend’ is accurate, then he’s our man next season.  I can’t excuse that post as, if a player has to retire, he deserves to be able to do it on his terms – in the manner of his choosing and at the right time.  I detest people who think they’re clever by leaking such private stuff.  The whole business of people ‘bigging themselves up’ by trotting out rumours simply diminishes them as individuals.

Jonny and Charlie showed they’re quick, but we already knew that – they also showed yet again that they have defensive weaknesses.  That’s what has done for Charlie’s international career (temporarily I hope), and it’s also hanging over May’s prospects.

Good to see Henry Trinder take his try really well.  He’s still a hell of a prospect, and with an injury-free run, and a good pre-season, I still believe he can be the player that he promised to be.  Billy T needs a break and I hope he doesn’t go to Argentina.  Since he came back from the 6N he hasn’t been the same player, but as they say, form is temporary, class is permanent.

Freddie was his usual mix of brilliance with the occasional howler thrown in, but I’m a believer.  Dan Robson did well, as did Dave Lewis, but we need the strength, experience and nous that Jimmy Cowan offers.  Had he stayed sound, we’d have finished top four – I’m certain of that.

Who knows what the problems with the pack are?  Not me, that’s for sure.  I just know that our front row struggles too often, with Nick Wood once again having a tough time against a big Southern Hemisphere prop, and  Shaun Knight also below his best.  Koree Britton is the future for us, and he impressed more than a ring-rusty Dawaduik.

The loss of Kalamafoni hurt us, and Qera was neutralised to a large extent by the Chiefs back row.  Ben Morgan was largely invisible.  Savage and Lokotui came off second best against the excellent Mumm and Welch.

So, another season over, and by any standards we have to consider it a success.  Fifth, and it should have been fourth as the London Irish home loss and the shameful capitulation at Sale were simply unacceptable, and more worryingly, inexplicable.  However, we’ve put the whole sorry end to last season behind us much quicker than I feared we would.

Our coaching team did well up to a point, but our backs don’t score enough tries bearing in mind the talent we think we have, and our pack has been a problem all too often this season.  Nigel Davies needs to prove his worth by addressing those major issues before the beginning of September.

So, glass half full, but not happy clappy, as the problems are all too obvious.

Finally, a word about the departing Peter Buxton.  Legend is word that’s over-used, but Bucko has given his heart and soul time and time again for Gloucester, and while it’s the right time for him to move down to the Championship, he’s some way off finished yet.  Every Gloucester fan should give heartfelt thanks to the man – many is the time I wished we had more players with his heart, commitment, and loyalty.  A true star and I wish him well down the road at Briss.

To the other that are departing, best wishes too – I have a fear that Dave Lewis is one that will come back to bite us, just as Haydn Thomas has.

Gloucester 28 – Saracens 23

Annhilated by lowly Sale, and eight days later we beat the best team in England, and rather more comfortably than the scoreline suggests.  At the same time, last week’s victors got utterly humiliated by Northampton: discuss.

If that was an exam question it would flummox the best brains around.  Yes we were away at Sale, and at home against Sarries, but that can’t be the whole answer.  Yes, Sale were up for it last weekend, and had EQP money on their mind when they chose the team for the trip to Franklin’s Gardens, but that can surely only be a factor.  However, Sarries had already sealed an AP home semi-final spot, and had a HC semi- on their mind, and that’s probably at the heart of the matter.

Make no mistake, this was a great occasion, the final home game of the season on a warm Spring day, with the pitch looking fantastic, and Glaws were really good, but no way was this the 100% switched-on Saracens that we’ve got used to seeing – Ben Morgan’s wonder try showed his strength and pace, but when did you last see Sarries fall off four tackles?

Therefore, let’s enjoy the win, but let’s also not get too carried away with it.  I’ll remember this victory over the, hopefully, hot summer ahead, but I won’t forget London Irish, Biarritz and that dreadful evening in Salford.  The win against Sarries just reinforced that, like Longfellow’s little girl, when we’re good, we’re very, very good, but when we’re bad we’re horrid, and I hope that over the close season, someone gets to the bottom of this Gloucester malaise which has been present for quite a few years, and seems to not be dependent on who is coaching us.  A win on the road at Exeter is, in my view, essential to go part of the way towards laying the ghost of that Sale defeat.

I firmly believed that we’d get stuffed by Sarries, and I thought the line-out and the scrum would be our undoing.  In the end we just about got away with it at the scrum, and while the Sarries line-out looked very solid, we did OK on our throw-in.  A special word for Koree Britton who, when the pressure was on in the final ten minutes, found his jumper on four occasions – a single slip-up then might well have cost us the game.

The pack did well, setting up some impressive mauls, and solidly defending Sarries attempts to drive.  Our back row were, as usual, excellent, with Q, K, and Morgan all causing problems.

Around me people were on Freddie’s case because of the missed place kicks, and what they saw as aimless kicking from hand.  We sit near the spot from where he missed the penalty and conversion, and that gap between the main stand and the Tump hospitality boxes causes every kicker problems when the wind blows.  For me, Freddie’s kicks were decent ones that moved sharply right when they wind caught them.  As for the kicking from hand, I read that simply as Glaws desperately trying to avoid line-outs – having said which, putting the ball down Strettle’s throat is never a good move!  I’d also rather have kicking downfield than the speculative passing in our own 22 that we saw in the two most recent games.

Dan Robson had a much better game, and the arm flapping at the ruck had largely disappeared – hopefully a coach was responsible for that.  His service was still patchy, but there’s plenty of time for that to be improved – I saw much greater maturity in this performance.

In the centre, Henry Trinder too looked better than before, but Billy Twelvetrees, one break apart, still looked to me like a player who needs a rest – sadly, he probably won’t get on as Argentina beckons.

Charlie and Jonny both were better than of late, and the quick surface is probably playing its part.  Both looked hungry for the ball, and Jonny showed that he is one of the best finishers in the country.

So, overall, a good day at the office, and one that was enjoyable for the supporters.

A word has to be said about the ref’.  I’m surrounded by so-called experts in the South stand, most of whom wouldn’t be able to distinguish a rugby Law from the hole in their backsides, and have generally had too much beer before the game even starts.  If alcohol affects your judgement driving, might it not also affect your powers of observation when a spectator at a rugby match?  Their ignorance is mind-boggling, and on nearly every occasion where they bayed and booed, I thought Doyle got it right.  I’d love to see the video of the match, because I reckon some of those mindlessly singing ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ would, had they any manners, be eating large helpings of humble pie.  I honestly despair of some people.

Sale Sharks 32 – Gloucester 9

This was one of those games where it was best to reflect before going anywhere near a keyboard, but the passing of five days has done nothing to lessen the impression that this was a shameful performance.

Like most fans losing doesn’t worry me, because in nearly all games there has to be a loser, but we demand commitment from the players, along with basic skills, and evidence that the coaches, the brains behind the outfit, have a game-plan.  Against Sale I saw precious little of any of those things – the Salfordians (is that a word?) simply wanted it more.

It’s very easy to pick up on some of Steve Diamond’s more provocative quotes, but we’ve always known that the man can coach, and once he moved back downstairs full-time, Sale were never going to be relegated.  I fancied them to finish top four this season, which probably shows how little I know, but I might well be tipping them to do it next time around, as Diamond has them all singing off the same hymn sheet, which is a lot more than Gloucester have done in their past two games.  Diamond and Redpath simply out-coached our lot on the day.

Firstly, our basic skills have been exposed from time to time through this season, and crucially so in recent matches, including that great win against a below-par Quins.  Our players drop too many passes, mess up too many kicks, don’t chase hard enough or well enough, and aren’t ferocious enough at the breakdown.  Compare our lack of precision with Saracens or the Tigers and you’ll see at a glance what I mean.

Are our players fit enough, or have they been over-trained?  I ask because there’s too much sauntering around, and not enough commitment.  Something’s wrong.

As for our coaches, Nigel Davies has all of the management speak, as befits a former consultant, and he handles the media well – he seems like a decent bloke.  However, has he the steel to turn this group of players into winners?  The home game against Sarries, and the trip to Exeter will tell us a lot more.  Me, I’m sceptical, and don’t proffer injuries as an excuse, as that simply doesn’t wash.

We were second best in almost every area against Sale.  We got the breakdown wrong: sometimes we threw too many players in, leaving gaps for them to exploit, and at other times we gave Sale an easy ride.  What was the plan?  What had our analysts spotted beforehand?  Not much from what I saw.

We were a disaster area at half-back.  At the risk of sounding like one of those who likes to gloat over their own cleverness, I have said several times that Dan Robson, good prospect that he is, wasn’t up to the job of steering us through the sharp end of the season, and so it proved at Salford.  Having gifted them an early try, he then flapped his arms around like a crippled budgie at every ruck – by the time he was taken off I was screaming at the television screen.  Someone needs to sit him down and explain that if he can divert half of that energy into getting quick ball and passing properly, he’ll be a better 9.  I loathe the modern trend of trying to con the ref’ rather than playing rugby, and Robson has that disease.

Freddie is woefully out of form – there isn’t much more to say about him.  His form will return, but you have to doubt whether it will be this season.  As for the rest of our backs?  Billy Twelvetrees is yet another player whose form has plummeted after his time away with England, and he is a shadow of the player who we enthused about before Christmas.  The trouble is that, Tinds apart, the rest of our centres have major weaknesses.  Opposition analysts must pray that Henry Trinder gets sent on, as his defensive flaws are obvious – a lot to work on in pre-season.

I’m well aware that some – well one – think I have a down on Rob Cook.  I don’t, but equally, I don’t see him as the answer at 15, but more as a placeholder until we get what we really need.  Expect him to have more problems in the final two games now that he has shown himself to be very one-footed – the try he gave away will have been pounced on by Sarries and Exeter, and he can expect to be under severe pressure from now on.

As for the pack, they were, by and large, ineffectual and ineffective against Sale.  They were showed up by the opposition’s physicality, and by their own indiscipline.  Who knows what the coaches plan is to shore things up before next September, but they’d better have one or their own positions will start to be questioned.

Finally, here’s another new word for you: this was a performance of late-Redpathesque  ineptitude, where Glaws once again capitulated in a worrying way.  Why is it that this club falls apart in the closing stages of each season?  Maybe Nigel Davies needs to add a sports psychologist to his coaching roster, or perhaps we just have too many serial losers in the squad, and need a root and branch clear-out?  Either way, more dross like this cannot be tolerated, or season ticket sales will plummet.

Gloucester 31 – Biarritz 41

Outclassed, but not outbattled, Gloucester got a serious reality check when convincingly beaten by Biarritz in the quarter finals of the Amlin.

Let’s start with the positives.  Glaws showed great spirit, and whereas, with previous regimes, they would have crumpled, they kept it going until the end – but let no-one think that the final score was in any way representative of the gulf in class between the two sides.  There were also moments of brilliance, but that brings us to the negatives – they were interspersed with schoolboy howlers and skills deficiencies.

Did anyone notice that there were hardly any scrums?  I can’t recall one in the first 40 minutes, and I suspect that pleased Nigel Davies – every time Biarritz knocked on, or threw a forward pass, Glaws played the advantage, and if there was a choice went for a line-out.  You can see this in one of two ways: either Glaws were committed to an attacking game, or they were ‘frit’ of what might happen if there was a scrum.  I applaud the former intent, but I reckon there was a fair bit of the latter in there too, and that can’t be allowed to continue.  You do not win trophies with a weakness like that.

If you want to play the fast, off-loading game, then your handling skills need to be up to the job, and on this occasion – and many others this season – they weren’t.  It was exciting to watch, but also very frustrating – and it wasn’t the cold, because Biarritz seemed to manage.

When we did have scrums, and there were very few of them, we saw why Glaws were worried.  They were out-powered, as they have been too often of late, and that’s a problem that needs solving.  When the French mauled, they were better in that department too, and we didn’t have much of an answer.  We need some big, old, nasty, experienced props on our books – oh for the likes of Patrice Collazo, Christian Califano, or even Pierre Capdevielle.

Leave aside any question of whether a Biarritz player should have been carded – in my view one should, and possibly another – because it doesn’t alter the fact that Glaws got two, and ill discipline has been a recurring theme this season.    The old saying, kind words butter no parsnips, is appropriate – I’ve had enough of the platitudes about discipline, and this is a major failing of both the coaches and the players.  If they can’t fix it, then let’s get some people in who can.

As to the players, Martyn Thomas has, I’m afraid, to be singled out.  His errors contributed hugely to two of the BO tries, and there wasn’t much that was positive to counter-balance that – his days at Kingsholm are numbered I’m afraid.  Our wingers huffed and puffed, but this was a top-class, very organised defence, and by and large they struggled to go through it or round it.

In the centre, Tinds was his usual impressive self – had he not been there the margin of defeat would have been greater.  Trinder did some good, but made too many errors – let’s be charitable and say that he’s a work in progress, but the less kind view would be that he’s becoming something of a slow learner!

Another curate’s egg of a performance from Freddie, some sublime touches, but also some things that will have encouraged Stuart Lancaster to let him spend more time with us.  Scrum-half is a problem, and I reckon will be what finally ends our AP season.  Oh how we needed Cowan’s experience!  Dave Lewis showed enough to persuade me that currently he’s the best 9 we have available, although I concede that Dan Robson is the better long-term prospect.  With Lewis going, the rumours about the Scarlets’ 9 had better be true.

As to the pack, well the back-row did well, as usual, but our front five are…well, I’ve said enough!

There’s plenty that’s good about Glaws at present and you’d be daft to be despondent, but there a big next step that has to be taken if we’re to be able to consistently match the likes of Tigers, Sarries or Quins, never mind the decent French sides.

As for next Friday?  Well, away at Sale has the look of the ultimate banana skin – let’s hope that now that they’ve won their relegation battle, they’ve relaxed a bit!  However, can you see Steve Diamond allowing that to happen?

Gloucester 17 – Harlequins 15

Better.  Some considerable way off a Premiership winning performance – I can’t see past Sarries regaining their title – but if we can repeat Friday’s form then the top four is a real possibility.  That said, consistency is not our strong suit, and I can easily imagine us being turned over by a desperate Sale in two weeks’ time.

If our pack held up, and our attack looked much, much better, our defence was distinctly dodgy at times.  In the first half Quins broke our line too easily, and with better luck they might have been out of sight at half-time.  Whether it’s down to dodgy systems, coaching, the absence of Mike Tindall, or young players not concentrating, this now has to be the biggest focus in the next couple of weeks – Saracens will exploit any defensive weaknesses for sure.

Our pack did well overall, with Shaun Knight giving Marler some trouble, and Koree Britton impressed on his first start. Dan Murphy coped well with James Johnston, and when we brought on the replacements, they shone too.  It’s good to see Dario Chistolini getting his chances, as things have seemed to have conspired against him so far in his Glaws career.

At lock, Big Jim went early, and his replacement, Will James, did really well, keeping his discipline on all bar one occasion – going to 14 men against Quins might well have been disastrous.  Our back row shone too, with Q and K being forces of nature!  Young Tom Savage turned in a typically physical performance – he’s our captain in waiting.

Freddie had another mixed game.  His kicking percentage is falling, and he didn’t half throw some speculative passes – he got away with it, but on another night it might have been different.  Dan Robson is clearly the ‘chosen one’ in Cowan’s absence, but when we retired hurt it was good to see Dave Lewis get his chance – I thought he did pretty well, and I hope that he’ll get more opportunities before he heads off to Exeter.

Thankfully, Billy Twelvetrees was back to much better form after a shocker against Welsh, and Henry Trinder looked much more like the player we all believe he can become, but I reckon he’ll lose out to Tinds for the Biarritz game – you can’t buy experience.   Charlie and Jonny put in really good performances, in my view a big step up on recent form.

Then there’s Rob Cook.  Overall you’d have to say he did well, but what on earth happened when he made that break?  It was the stuff of nightmares – remember Ludo dropping the ball when all he had to do was throw a simple pass to Sinbad, or Sinbad dropping the ball instead of touching it down?  These things live in the memory, and had we lost….

So, much improved and I’m a happier bunny this Easter, but I’m far from convinced that this will be repeated consistently – that doesn’t seem to be the Glaws way, remember how well we played at Leicester, and then a week later curled up and capitulated against Irish?  So, cautiously optimistic would best describe my mood, although the potential return of Ben Morgan and Sinbad for our last three AP games is in our favour.

Finally, I read the rather harsh post suggesting that Quins were ‘arrogant’ when they turned down the opportunity to go for goal, and tried to seal the match with a try.  That’s not arrogance, it’s wonderful self-belief, and I’d be delighted if Glaws were as consistently good as Quins have been over the past three years.

Gloucester 15 – London Welsh 14

It’s time for the Nigel Davies love-in to end.  The message needs to get through loud and clear that what we saw against London Welsh is just plain unacceptable.  When his predecessors – Melville, Ryan and Redpath – were in situ when the players delivered dross, they got it in the neck from fans, and Davies deserves to be treated no differently.  I didn’t fork out for a season ticket, and then spend fortunes on over-priced fuel to see well-paid coaches and players delivering rubbish – when Graham welcomed out Gloucester Rugby for the second half, I couldn’t stop myself saying ‘Gloucester No-rugby’.  It got a cheap laugh but it wasn’t far off the mark.

The sight of Gloucester scrabbling around looking for a penalty to sneak an undeserved win against London Welsh, at Kingsholm (!), was just plain embarrassing, and whatever criticism comes the players and coaches’ way is totally deserved.  To see the bottom club outmatch us in desire and basic skills was simply unacceptable.  Something is wrong, and it needs fixing.  I remind you: this has happened before (London Irish), and we’ve been poor for some time now.

Where was the gameplan?  If there was one then it wasn’t obvious to me: a muddy pitch coupled with a tricky wind, but at no stage did I see a strategy for managing the prevailing conditions.  Where was the territory game?  Why were long miss-out passes and chip kicks still being tried?  Yes, the players didn’t shine, but the coaches are culpable for seemingly sending them out there with dubious tactics.

I don’t know about you, but it struck me midway through the first half that the only way we would ever score was through the pack.  It then became obvious what we needed to do – play the game in Welsh’s 22, pick and drive, set up rolling mauls, choose the scrum option whenever we could, and grind them into the mud.  Did we do it?  No we didn’t, and we looked to steal a victory through penalty kicks.  It was simply shameful, and those penalties were all called by Davies.  We lacked the balls to really go for it.  We got four points but we embarrassed ourselves in the process.

To the players.  The front row were solid, but who knows what level of opposition they were facing, so let’s not get too carried away.  Will James didn’t get yellow carded, so that’s positive, but Jim Hamilton’s performance irked me.  One of my biggest dislikes is when international players star for their country but then come back and under-perform for their club.  Hamilton was so good for Scotland that he’s being talked up as a Lions candidate, but against Welsh he looked to me like he’d already mentally gone to France – where was the passion and the commitment?

Our back row was largely anonymous, and that pains me because you’ll struggle to find a bigger fan of Haze and Bucko, but I’m afraid it looked as though they are now lights of former days – sad.

Driving home, I was staggered to hear the Radio Glaws summariser praising Dan Robson’s performance!  Robson was OK in the final 20 minutes, but for the first 60 it was a masterclass in dodgy passing and poor decision-making.  He kicked – badly – when he should have run it, and then he ran it when he should have kicked.  It was shambolic, and to those who think we won’t miss Jimmy Cowan, think again.  Robson is a talent, but on this performance is he the man to steer us through tricky Premiership run-in?  I think not.

Freddie kicked enough penalties to spare a few of our blushes, but he was pretty dire throughout.  Where was the control, and the playing for position?  Not in evidence is the answer.  A dreadful day at the office.

At centre Tinds wasn’t at his best, but Billy Twelvetrees did a Hamilton – it was a performance that suggested he might be believing some of the good publicity he had.  What was he doing trying a ‘clever’ chip kick from inside his own 22 into a howling gale?  Barking mad in my opinion!

On the wings, Charlie and Jonny, showed very little.  What ball they got they messed up, and I’m a bit baffled by the tactic of using May persistently on the crash ball.  It might work someday, but it’s equally likely that he’ll get broken trying it.  A waste of his talent, and down to the coaches.

At last there’s something positive to say.  Rob Cook had a cracking game in comparison to every other Glaws back – well done to him, and our heartfelt thanks to the man who singlehandedly brought him to us!

Overall though, how can such talented backs produce such clueless rugby?   That’s a question that plenty of people are asking.

Am I hacked off?  Yes, you spotted it – the cat got a figurative kicking when we got home.  To see so much talent in Cherry and White floundering in the way that it did, hurts badly.

As for the future?  Thank goodness we have the points on the board already.  All we can hope is that Quins’ minds are on the challenge against Munster, because if they bring their ‘A’ game on Friday evening, on what I saw against Welsh, we’ll get stuffed.

I’ll get my coat!

Bath 31 – Glocuester 25

Watching the game, I just knew that there would be an outbreak of moaning on Shedweb.  There were some unrealistic expectations going into the game too – Bath are, like Glaws, a work in progress, and on their day they have been playing some decent stuff.  In contrast, Glaws have been distinctly ropey in their last two games – I think a LBP was a good result for us, and arguably we were lucky to get it.

As for the supposedly contentious decisions – the Sharples yellow and the penalty try were surely unarguable?  He did tackle Biggs without the ball, and I’d go as far as to say that in Barnes / Greenwood /Morris la la land, they’d have been happy with the decision, as it was as ‘almost certain’ a score as you’ll ever see.  Biggs is class, and wouldn’t have messed it up.

As for the red: as soon as I saw it, I knew someone was going, and I find it hard to argue with it.  The Shedweb test is, had it happened to one of ours, how would we have reacted?  That question answers itself.

We lost to Bath, they were at home, they’re an improving side, and once again we were pretty average.  In my book they beat us at the scrum, at the line-out, and at the breakdown.  All that saved us was their defensive lapses, and our knack of scoring tries against the run of play.  When it comes to attitude though, I give Glaws 10 out of 10, and that’s really important.  Once we get some of our first-choice players back then we still have a fair chance of the top four.

Nick Wood struggled at times again, I stick with my view that Dawaduik is a lightweight, and Harden’s injury was a huge blow.  In the second row, as I feared, Attwood was pretty good, and our weakness at lock was once again exposed.  Our back row, as usual, did OK, but not much more as Bath were equally good in that area.

Bad day at the office for Freddie when it came to goal kicking, but surely we need to cut him some slack – he’s still class and has saved us time and time again this season!  Robson again did OK, but I hope to see Dave Lewis get a start soon – in recent weeks, when he has come on as a replacement, I think he has looked really good.

In the centre, Tinds and Trinder did pretty well – without Tinds solidity, organisational ability, and physicality, we would, IMHO, have lost by a bigger margin.

Rob Cook did OK most of the time, without ever being the superstar that one of us believes him to be, and his was one of the defensive lapses that cost us.  I like the guy, and he has served us well, but I think a sense of balance needs to be kept – there are a decent number of much better 15s out there at present.  I genuinely think his cause would be better served if his mega-fan stopped going on about him – no need to fight his corner repeatedly, just let people come to their own view about him.  Continually singing his praises probably turns some people off the guy!  Just my view!

May did better last night, but I don’t much enjoy seeing him crashing into big forwards – that way lies disaster!  Charlie did some good things, but he’s not convincing me at present, and it could be that he needs a rest, or maybe it’s just a confidence thing.

As for the ref’, he isn’t my favourite, and I’ve seen him have some shockers, but I don’t this was one of them.  Of course there were things I saw differently, but there always are with every ref’.   I thought he used the TMO, and the big-screen replay really well, and the view that he shouldn’t look at the big screen is just nonsense – it’s his job to get to the right decision as soon as possible, and if seeing a replay helps with that, fantastic.

I think some of us need to take a deep breath, and then read some of the threads as an impartial outsider would.  If you do that, then I think you’ll see that some of our number are just plain whingeing, exactly what we were indignant about when the Wuss supporters did it last week.  Come on, we’re surely better than that!

It needs saying, so here goes: well done Bath, you were the better team on the night, and by some margin.  Here’s hoping that the three weeks’ rest helps Glaws get things back on track.

Gloucester 29 – Worcester Warriors 23

What should we make of this performance?  The first thing is that the formbook goes out of the window in Glaws v Wuss derby games – the upstarts from up the M5 always seem to drag something out of the bag when they come up against us.  Secondly, Gloucester just aren’t firing at present, and a lot of it is down to immaturity and the lack of experienced heads.

I’m sure his critics will disagree, but I reckon that had Tinds played then Glaws would have won the game with some ease.  There would have been fewer gaps in the defensive line, and he’d have made sure that there were level heads rather than headless chickens.  There were problems pretty well across the park, and we need to step up hugely on this performance if we’re to stop Bath sticking plenty of points on us next Friday.

Let’s start with the back three.  Rob Cook did OK, but not much more than that.  His kicking let him down again – the difference in pressure level between the Championship and the Premiership is huge, and that’s two games in a row that he’s been found out.  Sharples did OK without ever looking the player he was before England discarded him – I remember Anthony Allen having a similar slump when he was treated badly by them.

However, it’s Jonny May that worries me most.  He has blinding speed, and he’s a decent-sized lump, but what does he think he’s playing at?  In the last two games he has tried to do too much himself, and I thought he had another poor game against Wuss.  If he wants to get back in the England frame then he needs to concentrate on being a winger, not some sort of a pseudo-centre.

At centre we were poor.  Molenaar made a schoolboy error when he chucked the pass that game Wuss a try, and what was Trinder doing leaping out of the line, and then dithering.  If we play those two against Bath they’ll slaughter us.

At half-back we saw the same as at Wasps: flashes of really good stuff, interspersed with poor, aimless kicking and bad decision-making.  I’d start Dave Lewis at 9 next week, and can we all collectively say a prayer for Freddie’s return.

We have talented backs but they’re just not doing the business at present and we’ll rapidly fade from top four contention unless things change quickly.  Thankfully we have a break after next weekend, so we can get Sinbad (oh how we’ve missed his intelligence), Twelvetrees, and hopefully Shaun Knight all back.

Our front row did OK, but I was happier when Edmonds took over from DD – hopefully he’ll start next weekend.  Our second row did OK, I suspect mainly because the Wuss line-out was a shambles.  In fact, the pack did OK, it was just that the other seven players looked clueless!

As for the penalty try. Well done the TMO, and well done David Rose for taking his advice.  I’ve looked at it over and over again, and does Claasens leg actually touch Jonny May, or does May dive over it?  Either way it doesn’t matter: it was a trip, or a failed attempt to trip, and both are unacceptable, although I’m sure it was a reflex action rather than intentional.  As for the argument that Hodgson would have made the tackle, get real!  He was a yard behind May, and some yards away from him – he wouldn’t have laid a finger on him, not in this world or the parallel universe 15 miles up the M5!

I read the whinge about the unsporting Kingsholm crowd and it made me smile: firstly, the immutable law of rugby is that the losers complain, and the second is that I try to avoid Sixways as I have found it to have too many Brummie footie supporters having an away day.  It’s my least favourite AP ground – even worse than Vicarage Road was, and not as welcoming as the Rec’!

Finally, to those that are against artificial pitches, K turned his ankle on the mud, and Christolini lasted 40 seconds because his foot slipped when the pressure came on – my belief is that wouldn’t have happened at Allianz Park.  You’ve got to feel for Chistolini as he had the chance to shut his critics up, and the pitch took that away from him.

Wasps 33 – Gloucester 29

In the end, I think the result was fair – it possibly even flattered us, as our tries were of the consolation variety once Wasps had eased off.  They were superior to us at the breakdown, better in the line-out most of the time, and managed parity at the scrum – they’re one of the form sides in the AP and I’ll settle for two points and preventing them getting the fifth one.  Apart from the first ten, and the final five minutes, I thought we were second best.

For those who thought we’d dominate up front, it was never going to happen, as Wasps are not the pushovers they used to be at the set piece – they’ve got a cracking coach in Dai Young.

It was also a pretty stark lesson for us: we’re becoming a good side, but we aren’t quite there yet.  I think top four is still a possibility but we’ll need to continue to improve to get there – and avoid banana skins such as the one that lies in wait for us next Friday evening.  Wasps too will have learned something – their final ten minutes exposed their weaknesses as they clearly panicked and lost the plot.  I would imagine Young will have had something to say about that.

Our young, cobbled together half-back combo did well, but their inexperience showed at times – the old adage that if they’re good enough they’re old enough, is as it always was, total rubbish.  When it gets to sweaty-palm time you need experience and a calm head: we’re going to miss Cowan for the rest of the season, and we have to hope that Freddie comes back soon and stays fit.  I thought Lewis once again added something when he came on – I’m sorry to see him go.

In the centre, Tinds was, as usual, classy and very physical, and Molenaar did his job without ever looking as though he could be a first-choice centre.

Sharples and May did their jobs without having too many chances, or ever looking as though they’d create anything.

It would be unfair to blame Rob Cook for the loss, but kickers need to take their chances, and he didn’t.  That may sound harsh but it’s just a fact.

Once again I wasn’t convinced by our front-row, and if ‘onlythegood’s’ pre-match statistics were right then I’m bewildered – no way do we have the best scrum in the AP!   Both Wood and Harden had their share of problems, and I remain of the view that we need a bigger hooker than DD – oh for another Olly Azam!  Wentzel showed that we need a top-class second –row if we’re to compete at the highest level – his steal from Big Jim was lovely.

Had Q stayed on then we might have edged it, but I’m afraid this was the game where I decided that Matt Cox simply isn’t what we need – roll on Kvesic’s arrival.

Finally, I thought the ref’ was good – he was fair, rigorous, but consistent at the breakdown, and I’m not sure we can ask for more.

I’m, on balance, still just about ‘glass half full’, and if we can pick up four or five points next Friday then we’re still in decent shape – here’s hoping we don’t throw in a performance like the one we produced against Irish!