George Skivington: Gloucester head coach commits 'long-term' future

Gloucester is former lock George Skivington's first role as a head coach since retiring from playing

Gloucester head coach George Skivington has committed his future to the club by signing a new "long-term deal".

Skivington, 39, joined the Cherry and Whites in June 2020 following his role as forwards coach at fellow Premiership club London Irish.

The former lock retired from playing because of injury in 2016 after spells at Wasps, Leicester and London Irish.

"I'm massively grateful to the club for giving me this contract. The club did take a punt on me," Skivington said.

"There were higher profile coaches that they could have gone for which would have been the easy option in terms of people's perceptions.

"My ambition is to prove them right and show them that they've hired the right guy and I'll continue to do that. We want to be a successful club year after year."

While Gloucester finished 11th in the Premiership in Skivington's first year at the helm, they have made big strides this season and are currently in fifth place, having pushed for the top four play-off spots for most of the campaign.

The success of the team's driving maul this season, to become the most formidable in the league, has typified Gloucester's improvement and is something Skivington is keen to create a culture around.

"It's probably the best area of the game for showing how tight you are as a group," he told BBC Sport previously.

Gloucester chief executive officer Lance Bradley added: "We have a long-term vision for success both on and off the field, and George has made, and continues to make, a significant contribution towards that," said