Gloucester Rugby suffered their eighth league defeat of the season as they lost to Newcastle Red Bulls 25-19 at Kingston Park on March 15, 2024. Despite the loss, Gloucester’s director of rugby, George Skivington, commended his team’s effort, highlighting their “endeavour” throughout the match.
The game began with Newcastle demonstrating early dominance. George McGuigan and Tom Christie scored tries for the hosts, while Gloucester struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. As both teams navigated yellow cards for Newcastle’s Jamie Hodgson and Arthur Clark, Gloucester managed to respond with a try from Ollie Thorley. However, a penalty kick from Brett Connon allowed Newcastle to take a 15-5 lead into halftime.
Newcastle extended their advantage shortly after the restart when Simon Benitez Cruz crossed the line for another try. The match took a dramatic turn when Thorley received a red card, reducing Gloucester to 14 men. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Gloucester mounted a late comeback with converted tries from Mikey Austin and Ciaran Knight, closing the gap to 25-19.
Skivington reflected on his team’s performance, noting, “We made a lot of line-breaks but didn’t finish enough of them off.” He acknowledged the challenges faced by his squad, which featured young players like Will Knight, who made his first Premiership start at just 18 years old, and Will Crane, a loanee from Hartpury RFC.
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Newcastle’s head coach, Alan Dickens, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “The performance from the players was fantastic tonight.” He recognized the early momentum and praised his side’s ability to withstand Gloucester’s late surge. Dickens remarked on the significance of the victory, saying, “It’s an understatement to say I’m really pleased or relieved.”
Despite sitting at the bottom of the Gallagher Premiership table with only one win from nine matches, Dickens emphasized the progress his team has made over the past few weeks. “Today we put in a performance. We started really quickly and got some points on the board,” he added.
As both teams look ahead, Gloucester aims to build on their attacking efforts, while Newcastle seeks to build momentum from this hard-fought victory. The match showcased the resilience of both sides, with Gloucester’s young talents and Newcastle’s determination shining through in a competitive atmosphere.
