The Premiership returns - and Lewis Ludlow and Gloucester are ready to 'crack on'
Lewis Ludlow is hoping Gloucester can reach the Premiership semi-finals this term
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Lewis Ludlow sees both sides of the coin when he reflects on Gloucester's Premiership season to date.
Fifth in the standings and one point off the top four is not a bad position for George Skvington's men to find themselves in as we approach the final quarter of the regular campaign, but the Cherry and Whites skipper offers a balanced view.
"There’s definitely a few games which we should have performed better in but then also on reflection, you look at the injury list we have, we’re missing key players in key positions.
"We were on a good run and building but on the plus side to that, people have come in to replace those guys.
"Young lads in the academy and people from Worcester [Warriors] are performing really well for us at the club. The future in that aspect looks great. We really think we can crack on and move our way up that table."
The Gallagher Premiership returns this weekend after a couple of weeks off due to the Six Nations. Friday night sees Ludlow's side take on Harlequins at Kingsholm, with the visitors level on points with Gloucester.
“It’s massive for us, especially Friday nights at Kingsholm," Ludlow adds. "They are something we really look forward to. We’ve not played at Kingsholm for about a month so we’re looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd, Friday night and somewhere we can get really excited about playing. The boys are really looking forward to it.
"Quins, during this period of rugby, have lost a couple of people to international duty. What happens is, they tend to go back to what they’re good at, which is playing really fast, really quick attacking rugby off guys like Danny Care and André Esterhuizen.
"We’ll be defensively trying to control them, being on it at all times. They love quick taps, they love all the exciting stuff around rugby so for us it’s about bringing it back to our process and playing how we want to not like how Quins play because we’re not Quins."
Gloucester resume their Premiership duties following narrow defeats to Saracens and Exeter Chiefs in January while in Europe, the Cherry and Whites secured an excellent final-round win over Bordeaux Bègles to confirm their spot in the last 16 of the Heineken Champions Cup.
A tie against the current Kings of Europe - La Rochelle - is to come at the beginning of April but before that, Gloucester will be focusing on games with Harlequins and Northampton Saints, and in particular, their meeting with Leicester Tigers on March 12th.
Rewinding the clock back to Christmas Eve, and it is a day that Ludlow and no rugby fan will forget in a hurry.
It was the first time that both Leicester and Gloucester had competed for The Slater Cup. The Slater Cup, named after ex-Leicester and Gloucester lock Ed Slater, was won by the Tigers at Matiolli Woods Welford Road but the afternoon belonged to the former forward.
He made 136 appearances for the Tigers in seven years, captained the club during two seasons and was a member of the Premiership-winning side in the 2012/13 campaign. He signed for Gloucester in 2017 and made 90 appearances for the Cherry and Whites before retiring in June 2022 after he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Slater has been living with MND for just over six months now and often documents his journey in the hope it will help raise awareness of the disease, with the tireless efforts of others - none more so than Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield - also helping the cause.
“I think it’s the most emotional I’ve got around a game in a long time, if not ever,'' Ludlow says when we discuss The Slater Cup. "You see how strong Ed is fighting and what work is being done around the MND community. Whether that’s Kevin Sinfield running or what Rob Wainwright has just done in cycling from the Millenium [Stadium] to Murrayfield.
"I know how hard cycling is after what we did and it’s an outstanding achievement what those guys did. It comes down to what rugby is all about though - two great clubs who are the best supported in the league by a long way. They probably have the most passionate fans and are the most historic. They’ve put everything aside for what ultimately is a greater cause and that’s something that everyone can get behind."
Ludlow knows the atmosphere will be a special and poignant one at Kingsholm when the two sides meet again in just over three weeks time. In terms of on the pitch, the game against Leicester is part of a crucial block of four domestic fixtures for the Cherry and Whites between now and the start of April.
Club commitments are clearly front and centre of Ludlow's mind, with Gloucester targeting a return to the play-offs for just the second time in the last decade.
And while the Premiership will run alongside the Six Nations over the next few weeks, it seems remiss of me not to ask the Cherry and Whites skipper about his international ambitions.
Ludlow was handed his England debut by former head coach Eddie Jones and was involved in squads during his tenure, but the forward hasn't been named in Steve Borthwick's plans as of yet.
England's back-row is arguably the most hotly contested area in the squad - with Ludlow hailing the performance of Jack Willis in their recent win over Italy - but when asked whether Borthwick had been in touch, he adds: "I say it all the time when people ask me.
"People can pick five, six maybe seven back-rowers in the squad, or you could pick another seven, and there’s probably another seven after that and still everyone would be happy with those 20 players.
"For me, it’s just about concentrating on playing well for Gloucester, enjoying getting that right and whatever happens, happens. The way that back row is playing at the minute, I’d be the biggest advocate for Jack Willis. He was outstanding against Italy.
"Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say they’re very good so I’ll keep plugging away here and hopefully the better Gloucester play, the more we have a chance of getting players in that squad."
As Ludlow has touched on throughout, for now, it is time to crack on with Gloucester and the first challenge comes under the Friday night lights against Harlequins.
