‘Going to be huge’
Updated 15/03/2024 at 20:58 GMT
Gloucester will be a better team next season after signing Christian Wade, Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, says TNT Sports experts Ben Kay and Billy Twelvetrees. The Cherry and Whites have struggled for form and currently sit second from bottom in the Gallagher Premiership. Anscombe was a free agent, while Wade has agreed to join from Racing 92 with Williams arriving from Cardiff.Tomos Williams breaks away to acore their second try during the Six Nations international rugby union match between Wales and France at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Image credit: Getty Images
Former England internationals Billy Twelvetrees and Ben Kay believe Gloucester’s trio of new signings for the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season are going to propel the club forward.
The Cherry and Whites have struggled domestically this campaign and sit second from bottom with just three wins from 12 ahead of the resumption.
George Skivington’s side won their opening two games of the season before losing nine in a row, while the team have also been weakened by the shock departure of Louis Rees-Zammit, who opted to quit rugby to pursue his NFL dream.
There have, however, been encouraging signs of late. A victory over Sale Sharks before the break for the Six Nations halted the losing streak in the Premiership, while they are through to the last 16 of the Challenge Cup and can end their near nine-year wait for a trophy when they take on Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup final.
Fans have also been buoyed by the impending arrival of three new players in the summer. Racing 92 winger Christian Wade will swap the French Top 14 for the Premiership next season and he will be joined by Wales internationals Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe.
“There’s some quality signings: Wade, Anscombe and Tomos Williams are going to be huge for this team going forward,” Twelvetrees told TNT Sports. “The two half-backs have a wealth of experience and a great skill set.
“This sort of quality, great experience internationally and they’ll manage games in the Premiership really hard.
“This guy [Wade] coming back to the Premiership is exciting. Even if you’re not a Gloucester fan, he is a powerful and exciting player and it’s good to have him back in the Prem.”
Kay echoed those sentiments, admitting Wade is a perfect like-for-like replacement for Rees-Zammit and hailing the impact the half-backs could have.
Between them, scrum-half Williams and fly-half Anscombe have made more than 80 appearances for Wales and know each other’s games very well.
“As Rees-Zammit goes they’ve got another guy that can do something on their own, create something out of nothing,” Kay said.
“I think that half-back pairing in particular, the fact that they’ve got that much experience to assist the young half-backs that are here and need a bit of guidance.
“But more importantly, you’ve got two guys coming from the same place, so they’re gonna know each other inside out and it’s not trying to bring two different half-backs from different clubs and getting them to gel quickly.”
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