Skivington calls on Kingsholm crowd as Gloucester face 'ultimate test' against back-to-back champions Bordeaux

George Skivington has challenged Gloucester to measure themselves against the best in European rugby when back-to-back Investec Champions Cup winners Bordeaux Bègles visit Kingsholm on Friday. The Gloucester head coach described the fixture as the closest thing to Test rugby that several of his players will experience this season.

The Cherry and Whites arrive into the Champions Cup in reasonable domestic form, having beaten Exeter Chiefs away, hammered Harlequins 48-0, and claimed two bonus points from a trip to Leicester Tigers in the opening weeks of the Gallagher Premiership season. Skivington, however, is under no illusions about the step up in class that Bordeaux represent.

“These guys have beaten everybody home or away to get to the point where they’ve won back-to-back titles,” Skivington said. “It is the ultimate test. We’ll embrace it, put our game out there.”

Bordeaux have claimed the last two Champions Cup finals, defeating Northampton Saints and Leinster respectively — results that underline why Skivington views the visit as a genuine benchmark for his evolving squad.

“Some of our players get to play against, effectively, what’s a Test rugby team,” he added. “Because it is week four of the season, we’re still getting to grips with our game. So we think it’s an exciting opportunity just to get our game out there.”

Skivington also acknowledged that last weekend’s trip to Welford Road exposed areas that need addressing, though he stopped short of blaming a lack of quality. “I don’t think we’re not good enough to do that. I think we just didn’t target those areas well enough for whatever reason.”

Beyond the on-field challenge, the Gloucester boss made a direct appeal to the club’s supporters — and in particular the famous Shed end — to make Kingsholm as hostile an environment as possible for the visiting French side.

“We need them Friday night, 100%,” Skivington said. “This needs to be as hostile as it possibly can be for Bordeaux coming over. We want it like you can feel it in the air. We need our supporters really loud and passionate on Friday night for sure.”

The match marks Gloucester’s first outing in this season’s Champions Cup and offers Skivington an early read on just how far his rebuilt side has come.