Gloucester Rugby are a professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club based in the
West Country
The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glo ...
city of
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, England. They play in
Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...
, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the
European Rugby Champions Cup.
The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches at
Kingsholm Stadium
Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where ...
, on the fringes of the city centre. Their biggest successes are winning the
Anglo-Welsh Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
five times: in
1971–72,
1977–78,
1981–82,
2002–03 and
2010–11; and the
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
twice: in
2005–06 and
2014–15.
The club has no official nickname but are often referred to as the Cherry and Whites by supporters and the media in reference to the traditional Cherry and white hooped shirts worn by the team. Matches with local rivals
Bath and
Bristol Bears
Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...
are referred to as West Country derbies.
History
Formation & Early Years
The club was formed in 1873 after a meeting at the Spread Eagle Hotel with the announcement in the Gloucester Journal: ''"A football club (as rugby was then called) has been formed in this city – the season's operations begin at
the Spa on the first Tuesday in next month."''
a team was then organised to play the college school, which was actually played on the current Kingsholm ground.
The club left the Spa after an argument with the cricket club that they were ground sharing with. During the winter, the Rugby Club had used a salt mixture to remove frost from the pitch, resulting in the death of the grass on the wicket. Gloucester were no longer welcome at the Spa ground. They then acquired lands from the Castle Grim Estate for £4,000 in 1891 & have played home fixtures at this site ever since, in the area known as Kingsholm.
Continued Successes & the Dawn of Professionalism
In 1972, Gloucester RFC won the first-ever National Knock-Out Competition. Having beaten
Bath,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
London Welsh
London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...
and
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
(all away from home) in earlier rounds, they beat
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
in a Twickenham final that was marred by violence and the sending off of Moseley's Nigel Horton.
[
In 1978, Gloucester RFC won the first ever ]John Player Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English club ...
, defeating Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
in another final noted for violent play both on and off the pitch at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team plays ...
.[
Despite the two cup wins of the 1970s, and a shared trophy in 1982, Gloucester were soon to find themselves in the shadow of Bath, the rising force from down the A46.][
In 1989, Gloucester came close to winning the 'double' but failed to win either competition, losing to Wasps for the league title and losing the cup final 48–6 to Bath.][
Professionalism finally came in 1995, but Gloucester was without a major investor, and lost ground in terms of player recruitment and revenue acquisition. But this did not prevent the club from transforming itself into a ]limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
.[
]
The Early Professional Era
Tom Walkinshaw
Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
bought the club in 1997. After two full seasons at the helm, Richard Hill was replaced as director of rugby by former France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
captain Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André (; born 19 April 1967) is a former French rugby union footballer and currently the manager of Top 14 side Montpellier. He earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997. His preferred position was wing but h ...
.
In 1999–2000, a third-place finish took Gloucester into the Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
. With Phil Vickery, Trevor Woodman, Kingsley Jones and All Blacks legend Ian Jones forming the basis of a formidable pack, Gloucester Rugby reached the semi-finals.
In 2003, Gloucester won their first cup in 25 years, under new coach Nigel Melville
Nigel David Melville (born 6 January 1961) is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain and currently serves as Director of Professional Rugby for Rugby Football Union.
Melville became the youngest player to captain E ...
.
During the 2002–03 season, Gloucester finished the league in first place, 15 points ahead of the next best club. Under the new Premiership playoff system, Gloucester Rugby were required to play a single knock-out match to determine the Premiership champions. Despite a significant rest period of three weeks, Gloucester lost the final to Wasps and have thus never been crowned English domestic champions. Nigel Melville left the club and was replaced by Dean Ryan for the 2005–06 season.
At the start of the 2005 season, owner Tom Walkinshaw
Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
made several changes to modernise the club. 'Gloucester Rugby Football Club' was renamed 'Gloucester Rugby' and, due to copyright issues, no longer used the City Coat of Arms as the club's crest (as the crest didn't belong to the club, so unofficial merchandise was freely available).
The 2005–06 season saw an improvement in the club's fortunes, although they did not qualify for the play-offs, they were strong contenders and lost out on the last day of the regular season. They also won silverware in the European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
, defeating London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...
in a tense final that went into extra time.
Gloucester Rugby finished 1st in the 2006–07 Guinness Premiership table. Both Leicester and Gloucester Rugby tied with 71 points, but Gloucester Rugby gained first place with more games won. Gloucester Rugby defeated Saracens in the semi-final at Kingsholm, 50–9, and faced Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
in the final. Gloucester lost 44–16.
2008–Present
Martin St Quinton, an office equipment and telecoms entrepreneur acquired 25% of the club in 2008, and became vice chairman, with a focus on increasing sponsorship and other non-playing related areas.
Gloucester Rugby began the 2007–08 Guinness Premiership campaign as favourites, and came top of the league to book a place in the play-off semi-final at Kingsholm. Leicester Tigers won the match 25–26, marking Gloucester's third Premiership play-off defeat.
Gloucester reached the EDF Energy Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
Final in the 2008–09 season, losing to Cardiff at Twickenham.
On 11 June 2009, Dean Ryan left Gloucester by mutual consent and was replaced by Bryan Redpath
Bryan William Redpath (born 2 July 1971 in Galashiels) is a former Scotland international rugby union player and former rugby union coach. He is currently the Director of Rugby at London Scottish.
Early life and family
Redpath attended Kel ...
as their new head coach.
Tragedy struck the club on 12 December 2010, when popular club owner Tom Walkinshaw died from cancer at the age of 64. David McKnight was appointed non-executive chairman in April 2011, who guided Tom's son Ryan, who inherited the club. A memorial service held at Gloucester Cathedral for Tom was attended by hundreds of fans.
Gloucester won the Anglo-Welsh cup in the 2010–11 season, beating Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
34–7 in the final at Franklins' Gardens. They also made the Premiership play-offs this season, losing in the Semi-final to Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of championship club Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200.
History
It has been the home of Watford since 1922, when the club moved from Cas ...
.
On 17 April 2012, Bryan Redpath announced his resignation as Gloucester head coach with immediate effect, months before the end of the 2011–12 season. In June 2012, Gloucester announced former Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
coach Nigel Davies as their new director of rugby.
On 13 November 2012, Gloucester hosted an International match against Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
as part of the 2012 Autumn Internationals. The match was held at Kingsholm Stadium
Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where ...
and Gloucester won 31–29. On 12 November 2013, Gloucester hosted an International match against Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, as part of the 2013 Autumn Internationals. Gloucester won 40–5.
After two poor seasons towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Nigel Davies departed Gloucester with immediate effect. On 7 June 2014, Gloucester appointed David Humphreys as their new director of rugby, with Brumbies
The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...
coach Laurie Fisher
Laurie Fisher (born 25 April 1958) is an Australian professional rugby union coach. He is currently the forwards coach of Super Rugby team the Brumbies.
Early life and rugby career
Fisher was born in Canberra.
Rugby playing days:
* 1st Grade Au ...
confirmed as their head coach as of July 2014. During the 2014–15 season, Gloucester won the European Rugby Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...
at Twickenham Stoop
Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop) is a sports stadium located in south-west London, England. The stadium is home to Harlequins rugby union team, who play in the Gallagher Premiership. The stadium has a capacity ...
, beating Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
19–13 in the final.
In 2016, Martin St Quinton acquired 100% full ownership of the club to become new chairman of Gloucester Rugby with immediate effect.
On 6 March 2017, Laurie Fisher left Gloucester by mutual consent before the end of the 2016–17 season. On 3 April 2017, he was replaced by Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
coach Johan Ackermann
Johannes Nicolaas 'Johan' Ackermann (born 3 June 1970) is a South African professional rugby union coach and former player. He played as a lock during his playing career between 1995 and 2007. He is currently the head coach at Red Hurricanes.
P ...
as Gloucester's new head coach. During the 2016–17 season, Gloucester reach the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...
, losing 17–25 to Stade Francais at Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...
. During the 2017–18 season, Gloucester reach the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...
, marking three European finals in four seasons, but lost to Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
31–30 at San Mames Stadium, Bilbao.
On 15 May 2020, Johan Ackermann announced his departure from Gloucester to become the new head coach at NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes based in Japan. On 2 June 2020, David Humphreys announced he will leave Gloucester after six seasons as their director of rugby, a month after Ackermann's departure.
On 27 June 2020, Gloucester announced London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...
Forwards Coach George Skivington
George Skivington (born 3 December 1982) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Premiership Rugby side Gloucester.
Early life and education
Skivington was born in Warrington, Cheshire.
Skivington played junio ...
as their new head coach, with Alex Brown promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
. This means Skivington handles the playing side of his new job whilst Brown focuses on rugby related matters like recruitment and regulatory issues at Gloucester.
Stadium
Gloucester Rugby play home matches at Kingsholm Stadium
Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115. It is sometimes nicknamed 'Castle Grim', after the estate where ...
. The club left the Spa Ground for Kingsholm when it bought an area of the Castle Grim Estate for £4,000 in 1891. In that year, Gloucester Rugby Football Club opened the "Sixpenny" stand, which later became known as the Shed.
Kingsholm's capacity was further increased to 20,000 in 1926 when a grandstand was added to the stadium at a cost of £2,500, containing 1,750 seats. However, six years later, it was destroyed by fire. There were plans proposed to increase the seating capacity of the stadium to 7,000. However, it remained a proposal, although the grandstand was replaced, terracing in the Sixpenny, and at the Tummp end was preferred, and indeed, more affordable in the early 20th century.
Like the clubs of the Welsh mining valleys, Gloucester Rugby traditionally drew its support and its playing strength from local working-class communities. The Shed, so-called because it looks like a cow shed, became known as such in the 1950s. Gloucester Rugby's fanzine, 'Shed Head' refers to it as 'the cauldron of fear'. The Shed is standing-only terracing that runs continuously down one touchline, opposite the point where visiting teams emerge from the dressing rooms. Its low tin roof amplifies the effect of a passionate support which has been mentioned by commentators sitting above it during live broadcasts. This, together with a historically good home record, contributes to the ground also being nicknamed 'Castle Grim'.[
In October 2003, Gloucester Rugby launched 'Project Kingsholm'. 'The Kingsholm Supporters Mutual' (KSM) was set up by Gloucester Rugby Football Club in October 2003, to help fundraise towards 'Project Kingsholm', the redevelopment of Gloucester's entire ground at a cost of £6,000,000, and the launch of a supporters shares rights issue. The idea was to be similar to the development at Franklins Gardens, home of Northampton Saints RFC, although on a bigger scale, incorporating both seating and terracing. Despite the KSM meeting the fundraising targets, Gloucester Rugby abandoned all plans.
In 2006, the club announced it would be making an extension to Kingsholm, bringing the stadium capacity up to 16,500. This was mainly to comply with Premier Rugby's minimum seat number requirements. The old main Grandstand (which was both terracing and seating) was later replaced by a new all seater structure, while terracing on the Worcester Street end of the ground was developed into an all seater stand, known as the 'Buildbase' stand at the time.][
In January 2007, the club announced plans to redevelop The Shed terracing to all seater. This was intended to enable the entire stadium to become all-seating. A large number of supporters did not want to see this happen under the proposals put forward by Gloucester Rugby, and a poster campaign under the name of 'Save Our Shed' or 'SOS' was initiated by the ]Gloucester Citizen
The ''Gloucester Citizen'' is a local British weekly newspaper covering the areas of Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean. It was a six-day-a-week newspaper until it went weekly in October 2017. The ''Gloucester Citizen'' is headquartered ...
newspaper. Posters were held up by supporters standing in the Shed, on camera during a televised Heineken Cup match against Leinster at Kingsholm. T-shirts were also made independently by supporters, with the slogan 'Save Our Shed' printed on them.[ The campaign did not protest the redevelopment of the Shed, rather the plans put forward at the time, which were to replace all terracing with seats, leaving no alternative anywhere in the ground, despite such a large demand for terracing.
In September 2008, chairman Tom Walkinshaw confirmed there were plans for the Shed to be redeveloped, but it would remain as a terrace (with an increased capacity of 6,000), with hospitality units above it. However, as of the 2010–11 season, the need and desire for redeveloping the Shed decreased with the above-mentioned plans proving to be conjecture, and as such abandoned, have never come into effect and do not appear to for the foreseeable future.
2007 also saw the club reject the proposal of a new 20,000 all seater stadium in an area of the city nicknamed 'The Railway Triangle'. This was intended to be shared with the local football side. Kingsholm was also suggested in October 2007 as a possible temporary home for Gloucester City after their stadium Meadow Park was flooded and then abandoned following the summer floods. This move was, however, rejected by Gloucester Rugby Chairman, ]Tom Walkinshaw
Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
.
In 2017, Gloucester Rugby announced that the Kingsholm Stadium will include a megastore and even museum.
Colours
According to local legend, it was decided that the club's colour was to be entirely navy blue, yet on an away trip they realised they had forgotten to bring sufficient Navy strip for the entire team. Travelling en route via Painswick, they stopped off at the local rugby club and asked to borrow a strip. Painswick RFC loaned them 15 of their cherry-and-white jerseys, the Gloucester side went on to win the away fixture and failed to return the shirts to Painswick, adopting the colours as their own. In 2003, to celebrate Gloucester RFC's 130th anniversary, Gloucester RFC returned the favour and donated Painswick RFC an entire new set of first team colours. Painswick RFC refer to themselves as "The Original Cherry and Whites" in reference to the incident.
For the start of the 2000–01 season, the club introduced new shirts which no longer featured the cherry-and-white hoops, instead featuring a largely red shirt with white sleeves.
The hoops returned in the 2001–02 season, with thin white hoops. In the 2005–06 season, the club moved away from traditional hoops again. The New Jersey was predominantly red, with white panelling on the side in a 'ladder' effect. This was dubbed the 'Spiderman' or 'Arsenal' kit by supporters. The new kit also abandoned the traditional navy blue shorts and socks, with the new design becoming all red. On the release of the 2005–06 shirt there was a degree of disappointment in Gloucester Rugby's decision to move away from the hooped jersey again (a design generally associated with traditional rugby shirts), as this was a dramatic move away from the classic Gloucester Rugby design. After the new 2005–06 shirt was released, 'Hudsons & Co' of Gloucester city centre, released a classic, plain cherry-and-white-hooped Gloucester Rugby jersey, manufactured by Cotton Traders
Cotton Traders is an English clothing company, specialising in rugby apparel and leisurewear, based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1987 by former England national rugby union team captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smi ...
(who supplied Gloucester Rugby jerseys prior to the 2007–08 season, when the manufacture of kit was taken over by RugbyTech), albeit an unofficial jersey which is not associated with the club, the shirt proved popular with fans unhappy with the official shirt. On the back of this success, many of the Public Houses in the Kingsholm area also began selling shirts with the classic hoops. Although these shirts do not display the name 'Gloucester Rugby', due to copyright, the Hudson variety were labelled 'Gloucester Rugby Football Club' while the pub versions used the title 'Cherry and Whites'. Both designs used the traditional cherry-and-white hoops, with the title under the Gloucester city coat of arms. As such many of the fans who disapproved of the new original design were able to purchase this classic design instead.
A number of fans commented on the irony that, whilst the new crest and shirt design were originally designed in order to prevent unofficial merchandise, they have in fact increased the number of fans turning to unofficial shirts. Gloucester Rugby released its own, official, supporters shirt displaying the classic hooped design with the new club crest above the date of the club's inception '1873'. For the start of the 2009–10 season, the club returned the first team jersey design to the cherry-and-white hoops.
In 2018, Gloucester revealed a new logo.
Kits
For many years, Cotton Oxford and Cotton Traders
Cotton Traders is an English clothing company, specialising in rugby apparel and leisurewear, based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1987 by former England national rugby union team captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smi ...
provided the playing kits for Gloucester. Between the 2007–08 and the 2010–11 seasons, RugbyTech supplied their kits, and between the 2011–12 season and the 2015-16 Kooga
BLK (initials for "Beyond Limits Known") is an Australian sporting goods manufacturing company which was established in 1999 in the city of Gold Coast in Queensland.
The overall but now heavily transitioned company has origins as far back as ...
supplied the kits.
Australian kit manufacturer XBlades
XBlades is an Australian sports equipment manufacturing company engaged in the design, development and selling of products primarily related to footwear and clothing. The company was established in 1989 to make shoes for athletes who played rugb ...
were the kit provider, between 2016 and 2017 and the end of the 2018–19 season. From the 2019-20 season onwards Oxen Sports supplied the kit. On the front of the 2021-22 shirt BiGDUG, a Gloucester-based shelving company, is the main shirt sponsor while Hartpury
Hartpury is a civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It has an area of about , about 270 homes and a population of about 700 people, increasing to 1,642 at the 2011 census. The village is about north of Gloucester. Geographically the parish ...
appears on each shoulder. The Peel Group
The Peel Group is a British infrastructure and property investment business, based in Manchester. In 2022, its Peel Land and Property estate extends to of buildings, and over of land and water. Peel retains minority stakes in its former ports ...
feature on the upper back. Kärcher
Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG is a German family-owned company that operates worldwide and is known for its high-pressure cleaners, floor care equipment, parts cleaning systems, wash water treatment, military decontamination equipment and window ...
feature on the lower back of the 2021–22 shirt as well as on the shorts.
Nickname
Gloucester are referred to by fans and media alike as the Cherry and Whites, a reference to the club's colours. Although this is not an official nickname, the club themselves regularly use the nickname in marketing and community messaging, as well as the players through social media. In the early 2010s, the club released an official fan shirt with imagery of cherries and the city's Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
on. The history of this nickname being used can be traced to local media references in the 1920s, when the nickname the "Red and Whites" was used, before evolving into the now familiar "Cherry and Whites" nickname during the 1950s/60s.
In 2005, the club decided to abandon its "Cherry and Whites" nickname and changed themselves to Lions instead but no official change was made during the year.
Another unofficial nickname for the club was "The Elver Eaters', although that name is a distant memory mused over by the club's oldest and longest supporters.
Season summaries
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
* After dropping into the competition from the Champions Cup/Heineken Cup
Club honours
Gloucester Rugby
*Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...
**''Runners-up: (4) 1988–89, 1989–90, 2002–03, 2006–07''
*National Merit Table 'A'
**''Champions: (1) 1985-86''
*Zurich Premiership Play-Off
**''Champions: (1) 2001-02''
*European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
**Champions: (2) 2005–06, 2014–15
**''Runners-up: (2) 2016–17, 2017–18''
*Anglo-Welsh Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
**Champions: (5) 1971–72, 1977–78, 1981–82, 2002–03, 2010–11
**''Runners-up: (3) 1989–90, 2008–09, 2009–10''
*C&G Cup
**Champions: (2) 1997–98, 1998–99
*Premiership Rugby Sevens Series
The Premiership Rugby Sevens Series is a friendly Rugby Sevens competition for the twelve Premiership Rugby clubs that will play the following season (i.e. the 2010 competition features the teams playing in the Aviva Premiership in the 2010†...
**Champions: (2) 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, 2014
**''Runners-up: (1) 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
''
Gloucester United
*Premiership Rugby Shield
The Premiership Rugby Shield was launched in 2003 as the Premiership Rugby A League. It runs parallel to the Premiership Rugby seasons. Split into north and south pools, it comprises twelve sides. The clubs select players from their academy and ...
**''Runners-up: (1) 2016–17''
Friendly
*Middlesex Sevens The Middlesex Sevens was a Rugby Sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.Bath, ''Scotland Rugby Miscellany'', p82 Th ...
**Champions: (1) 2005
Current squad
The Gloucester Rugby squad for the 2022–23 season is:
Elite Academy squad
The Gloucester Rugby Elite Academy squad is:
Academy squad
The Gloucester Rugby Academy squad is:
Club staff
First Team Coaching
* Alex Brown — Chief Operating Officer
*George Skivington
George Skivington (born 3 December 1982) is a rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Premiership Rugby side Gloucester.
Early life and education
Skivington was born in Warrington, Cheshire.
Skivington played junio ...
— Head Coach
*Dominic Waldouck
Dominic Waldouck (born 26 September 1987) is an English rugby union coach and former player. His playing position was centre.
Early life and education
Waldouck grew up in Shepherd's Bush, London. He attended Kew College Primary School. He the ...
– Defence Coach
*Trevor Woodman
Trevor James Woodman MBE (born 4 August 1976) is a former English rugby union footballer. He was born in Plymouth, but went to Liskeard School in Cornwall and won representative honours with Cornwall Under 16s.
Woodman moved from Cornwall and ...
– Assistant Forwards and Academy Transition Coach
* Tim Taylor – Assistant Backs and Academy Transition Coach
*Dan Tobin — Head of Performance
*Darren Lewis — Head of Analysis
Academy
*Carl Hogg
Carl Hogg (born 5 July 1969) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He is currently the Director of Academy and Development for Gloucester.
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Hogg was educated at St. Mary's School, Melrose an ...
- Director of Academy and Development
* Gareth Delve - Senior Academy Manager
*Alex Guest – Junior Academy Manager
*Kevin Mannion – Academy Performance Manager
*Matt Teague – Academy Coach
Notable former players
Below is a non-exhaustive list of former players for the club who have been either club record holders or have been particularly notable during their time at the club.
* Mike Teague
Michael Clive Teague (born 8 October 1960) is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer.
Early life
Teague was born and raised on a farm a few miles outside Gloucester. He attended Churchdown School.
Personal life
Teague mar ...
, played in 1991 Rugby World Cup Final while at Gloucester
* Phil Vickery, won 2003 Rugby World Cup Final while at Gloucester
* Trevor Woodman
Trevor James Woodman MBE (born 4 August 1976) is a former English rugby union footballer. He was born in Plymouth, but went to Liskeard School in Cornwall and won representative honours with Cornwall Under 16s.
Woodman moved from Cornwall and ...
, won 2003 Rugby World Cup Final while at Gloucester
* John Gordon A'Bear
John A'Bear (16 July 1913 – 3 October 1979) was an English rugby union player. He played club rugby for Gloucester and was their youngest captain. Although he never won a cap for England, he did tour Argentina with the British Isles team ...
, international rugby union player with the British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
, and Gloucester's youngest ever captain
* Ludovic Mercier
Ludovic Mercier (born 1 November 1976) is a French rugby union player, currently playing for the Top12 team Petrarca Rugby.
He is a fly half. He was one of the quickest players in history to reach 500 Premiership points; his goal-kicking and pla ...
, club points and goal-kick record holder
* Franco Mostert
Franco John Mostert (born 27 November 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for Honda Heat and the South Africa national team. His usual position is lock. He was one of the members of the winning Springboks in the 2019 Rugby ...
, won 2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
while playing for Gloucester
* Tony Lewis
Anthony Robert Lewis CBE (born 6 July 1938) is a Welsh former cricketer, who captained England, became a journalist, went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage between 1986 and 1998, and became president of the Marylebone C ...
, former England cricket captainTony Lewis
Retrieved 19 May 2018.
Lions Tourists
The following Gloucester players have been selected for the Lions tours while at the club:
* Walter Jesse Jackson
Walter Jesse Jackson (16 March 1870 – 1 December 1958) was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for the British Isles, and England, and at clu ...
( 1891)
* Frank Stout ( 1899 & 1903)
* Tom Voyce
Thomas Michael Dunstan Voyce (born 5 January 1981) is a former English rugby union player who played at wing or fullback. He previously played for England.
Voyce married Anna Wood in September 2015.
Biography
Born 5 January 1981 in Truro, ...
( 1924)
* John Gordon A'Bear
John A'Bear (16 July 1913 – 3 October 1979) was an English rugby union player. He played club rugby for Gloucester and was their youngest captain. Although he never won a cap for England, he did tour Argentina with the British Isles team ...
( 1936)
* P. C. Hordern ( 1936)
* Don Rutherford
Donald Rutherford (22 September 1937 – 12/13 November 2016) was an international rugby union player and administrator. He was the first ever Technical Director of the Rugby Football Union at Twickenham, becoming Director of Rugby where he s ...
( 1966)
* Mike Burton ( 1974)
* Phil Blakeway ( 1980)
* Steve Boyle ( 1983)
* Mike Teague
Michael Clive Teague (born 8 October 1960) is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer.
Early life
Teague was born and raised on a farm a few miles outside Gloucester. He attended Churchdown School.
Personal life
Teague mar ...
( 1989 & 1993)
* Phil Vickery ( 2001)
* Billy Twelvetrees
William Wesley Twelvetrees (born 15 November 1988) is a rugby union footballer who currently plays centre or fly-half for Gloucester Rugby and formerly played as inside centre for the England national rugby team.
Whilst playing for the Leic ...
(2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
)
* Ross Moriarty
Ross Moriarty (born 18 April 1994) is an international rugby union player, who currently plays for Dragons RFC and Wales as a flanker.
Personal life
Moriarty was born in St Helens, Merseyside while his father, former Wales international Paul ...
( 2017)
* Greig Laidlaw
Greig Laidlaw (born 12 October 1985) is a Scottish professional rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half and as a fly-half for Shining Arcs. Laidlaw holds the record for most caps as captain, 39, of the Scottish national team. He also rep ...
( 2017)
* Chris Harris (2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)
* Louis Rees-Zammit
Louis Rees-Zammit (; born 2 February 2001) is a Welsh rugby union wing who currently plays for Gloucester in the English Premiership and for Wales at national level. In 2021, Rees-Zammit was selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions.
E ...
(2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
)
Rugby World Cup
The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
whilst playing for Gloucester:
Sponsorship
References
External links
*
Live streaming commentary on all games and lots more from BBC Gloucestershire
Gloucester Rugby Heritage
Visitor information on Gloucester for travelling fans – details of where to stay and eating out in Gloucester
Premiership Rugby Official Website
{{Gloucester Rugby squad
Premiership Rugby teams
English rugby union teams
Rugby clubs established in 1873
Sport in Gloucester
1873 establishments in England