'I want to remind people what I can do' - Thorley

Ollie Thorley sat out the majority of last season with a serious knee injury

Winger Ollie Thorley says he wants to "remind people" what he can do after spending nine months on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

The Gloucester back has not played since suffering the injury during the first 20 minutes of the Prem Rugby win against Sale on 30 November.

Thorley is due to face Munster in a pre-season friendly on Friday night with league action beginning on 25 September when Gloucester travel to Sale.

"I want to go back out there and show people what I can do again," Thorley told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"When you're out for a while the game moves on quickly, I want to remind people what I can do."

Thorley has been described as "Gloucester through-and-through" by director of rugby George Skivington, having been at the club since the age of 14.

The 2025-26 campaign will be the 28-year-old's 13th for the club after coming through the academy and making his debut aged just 17, becoming the youngest Gloucester player in the professional era.

"When you're not playing the game it just reminds you how grateful I am to play a sport I love," Thorley said.

"Rugby is a sport that demands resilience. It doesn't matter who you are, at some time in your career you're going to have challenges whether that's off the pitch or on the pitch, or through injury or your personal life or your performances.

"I view this as just another challenge, it's been a very hard one but I'm ready to go again."

Thorley's time on the sidelines was made more challenging by the fact Gloucester evolved into one of the most dynamic attacking squads in the league last season.

The club began implementing a more expansive, running rugby style last summer - a style that suits a fast-paced winger like Thorley - and ended the season in the top three of clubs for average points and tries scored per game.

In two of the four games he started, Thorley was top for most defenders beaten (12) and line breaks (four) of all players across the league in round four and most metres made (141), defenders beaten (11) and line breaks (four) in round six according to stats from Oval Insights.

"Running rugby's my game, I'm dangerous with the ball in hand," he said.

"It was frustrating at times but I think you have to kind of bottle that frustration and save it up for when you get your opportunities.

"I really enjoyed watching the guys last year and hopefully we can reproduce some of that rugby again this year."

'Hungrier than I can remember'

Thorley topped many Prem Rugby stats at the start of last season before his injury

Thorley says he feels "fresh" both physically and mentally having had such a break - even though enforced - from the week on week cycle of playing rugby.

"Having not played I feel like I'm hungrier going into this season than any season I can remember," he said.

Getting back out at Kingsholm is his first priority but Thorley still harbours ambitions to run out for England again one day and adding to the one international cap he won in 2020 during the Six Nations, when he came off the bench in the final game against Italy.

Changes to World Rugby laws to try and make the game faster and more entertaining will help his cause, Thorley believes.

"When I first started playing rugby my ultimate goal was to represent my country and I've done that. No one can ever take that away from me. Equally I would love to have more opportunities," he said.

"The way the game has shifted in the last 12 months hopefully will suit me, changes to how the laws are being interpreted.

"I'm just thinking of playing and playing well for Gloucester but if any opportunity ever came in that remit again I'd be over the moon."