3/9/05 - Brain admires rivals' efforts

From the archive, first published Sunday 4th Sep 2005.

JOHN Brain believes Gloucester will be a much tougher prospect than they were last season.

The Warriors director of rugby was a player and coach at Kingsholm and expects a tough battle when the two sides meet at Sixways tomorrow.

He said: "In terms of expenditure, they are in the top three or four and I would maybe expect them to finish in that area of the table.

"They have strengthened considerably in key areas and will be looking to return to their forward strengths."

The Cherry and Whites have recruited a number of players over the summer, including prop Patrice Collazo and centre Mike Tindall.

They have also been boosted by the return of another England World Cup winner Phil Vickery.

England sevens player Pete Richards has been recruited to fill the void left by Andy Gomarsall, now with Worcester, at scrum-half.

But Brain has identified the danger man as full-back Ludovic Mercier, who has returned for another spell at Kingsholm.

He said: "Ludovic Mercier had a massive impact when he was there before. He has got the ability to kick you to death. He's an ideal 10 for playing for territory."

Warriors go into the game on the back of two wins out of two in their pre-season matches and Brain says the squad is bubbling nicely for the game.

He said: "They are going very well in training and we are very much looking forward to it. We've been working on different things.

"We're pleased with the way those friendlies went. You can play all the friendlies in the world but it is really what happens on Sunday that will give us the main indication of where we are."

n A dispute between top English clubs and the RFU over an adequate rest period for elite players will rumble on past this weekend's opening round of Guinness Premiership action.

Sale were due to field four of their English Lions in the starting line-up against Newcastle last night. The decision to select Mark Cueto, Jason Robinson, Charlie Hodgson and Andrew Sheridan went against RFU wishes.

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