Gloucester now find themselves in a direct head to head fight with Sale for the final Heineken Cup place. The two sides meet in the second to last game of the season, with the result likely to decide who makes it to Europe’s premier competition next season.

Redpath is keen for his side to strike back after a disappointing few weeks and is sure the best way to do so is to focus on their game plan, believing that if they do so the rest, victory and Heineken Cup qualification will come good. Gloucester have let winning positions slip in games against Exeter and Wasps and again at the hands of bottom club Newcastle. With two games to go it seems the Cherry and Whites will need to win their remaining two games and they are in desperate need of doing something to regain some form in the run in.

Newcastle was a tough game for Gloucester with the Falcons fighting for their life at the moment, but it was their first away win for 14 months and that statistic in itself speaks volumes about the difficulties Gloucester find themselves in at the moment. With Sale up next their campaign could be over if they fail to beat the Sharks at Kingsholm. Sale have had their own difficulties in recent weeks and have seen themselves drop out of play-off contention. But their victory over Bath at the weekend seems to mark a return to form and something Gloucester have simply got to replicate.

Gloucester Rugby Video Score: 5 / five

According to Redpath, if his side manages to leave behind the dismal performances and records of the last few weeks and return to winning ways on the back of the strategy, they will one step closer to securing direct entry into the pool stages of the Heineken Cup, the most prestigious competition in European club rugby. Gloucester Rugby will come up against the Newcastle Falcons which is currently lying in the bottom of the Aviva Premiership table and are almost certain to go down.

The Cherry Whites let themselves slip from a winning position in each of their last two games against the London Wasps and the Exeter Chiefs and succumbed to consecutive defeats, which has been the story of their season so far and these defeats have almost put theory dreams of qualifying for Europe in jeopardy. Redpath also hopes that the Falcons will not come to bite them hard as they struggle for survival and believes that if his side can hold their own, they will be able to win the match easily.

But Redpath knows that his Gloucester Rugby side are up for a serious test against the Newcastle Falcons and knows that even if they are almost certain to go down, they will fight till the last minute and that is what is making him nervous.

Gloucester Rugby Video Rating: five / 5

Gloucester Rugby Video clip Score: 5 / five

Gloucester have won three on the bounce to find themselves in fifth going into this clash and in with a real chance of making the play offs this season. Having beaten the likes of league leaders Harlequins and third place Northampton in recent weeks this month was always going to be huge for Gloucester and they have come through in impressive style.

Assistant coach, Hogg feels that while their recent form has been impressive they will be in for their sternest test at the weekend. Leicester started drastically poorly but have recovered in recent months and now find themselves sitting fourth and they have scored more tries than any other team in the league this season.

Hogg feels that his side have an excellent chance of victory over the ever strong Leicester side if they “get the basics right”. Leicester’s pack will punish any errors and have done so all season since their return to form. If Gloucester can keep it tight up front and give their backs the best possible service it will swing the pendulum the way of the Cherry and Whites. The Gloucester backs have impressed everyone who has seen them this season and given enough ball they could run in any number of tries against a Leicester side that is heavily reliant on their forward play.

Should Gloucester pick up a victory they will be right up there in contention for a play-off place and given their recent run of form who knows what that could mean? Having beaten Quins and Saints in recent weeks they will surely be serious title contenders if they do manage to make the play offs.

Gloucester Rugby Online video Rating: / 5

Gloucester took an early 7-0 lead when Johnny May’s third minute try was converted by Freddie Burns. The shock appeared to have been quashed when Toulouse fought back to lead 17-7 shortly after. They did however fail to crush their English opponents and by half time the score was 17-14 after a try from Akapusi Qera and another conversion from the Cherry and Whites kicker.

Early in the second half the see saw effect of this match struck again when another Gloucester try, a conversion and a penalty gave the underdogs a 24-17 advantage. And the scores were again levelled when Timoci Matanavou crossed for a second time in the match and Beauxis again added the extras.

Gloucester edged in front again with six minutes to go through another Burns penalty. The icing on the cake came in the form of Johnny May’s second try of the day was also converted and one of the biggest shocks of this year’s competition was complete.

Toulouse will advance to the quarter finals having got away with this shock. It will be a stark warning for them though and they will be keen to ensure they do not slip up again in their quest to make it to Twickenham in May. Gloucester will take all the positives from this result in their attempt to reach league targets. They will however be left to rue their disappointing defeat to Harlequins last week. Victory in their clash with the Premiership leaders looked a real possibility for much of the game and had they secured victory they would have advanced at the expense of Toulouse to the Quarter finals.

With the recruitment window opening up sometime next month, most of the managers from various clubs are looking forward to getting a deal struck with Gloucester and benefit out of the deal as well. Moreover, it is the job of these clubs to protect their clients and hence will be making sure that all the out of contract players will be getting a fair chance with the Gloucester window opening.

Redpath also will be focused and make sure that he gets the right candidate. He will not hesitate to put in a little more time to decide, but will also start the conversations for players who have been shortlisted and highlighted. Players who have a high budget demands but excellent skills and not going to be let out easily and Redpath is making sure he can bring about changes in the negotiation contract.

Gloucester is definitely going to have some of the best players play for the club. Agents will constantly send in a never ending list of suitable players and Redpath might have talks about all these payers, but one thing is to be noted is that not all initial conversations will end up in a final agreement.

Until any further agreement is decided upon, Gloucester and Redpath will be tight lipped and unavailable for any update, regarding who will be selected and which player has a better advantage over the rest of the other shortlists.

The young fly half is believed to have attracted interest from other clubs and has gone on the record as saying he was flattered by the interest but told of his long term commitment to the Cherry and Whites.

Burns was born and raised in Bath and grew up as a Bath fan. But he has suggested he is fast becoming a Gloucester boy, describing the club as “where my heart is”. He was courted by a number of Premiership clubs but has described himself as being privileged to have not had to explore those options, being given the opportunity to stay put by Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath.

Burns recent spell of excellent form has not only impressed those on the domestic scene. He has recently been called up to the England Saxons squad for the first time for their upcoming internationals, and must be one of our rugby betting tips to break into the England first team soon.

His development is coming along strongly and he no doubt knows where he wants it to continue. He gave the impression of wanting consistency. Since “coming from the academy and Bath(at 17)…Gloucester’s been my club sincethen and Brushy(Redpath) was the man who gave me my chance”.

He knows he is at a club where he is valued, under a manager who knows him well and in a area close to his family. He is well and truly in his ideal situation and it is no surprise that he has reiterated his commitment to the club. He is a promising young player, with a great career ahead of him.

Gloucester fans can no doubt expect him to play a significant role in their future, nto only over the next 2 years, but in the long term too. Watch out for him playing for England in the near future – he’ll have a massive impact on the Betfair Six Nations betting odds in seasons to come!