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Johan Ackermann in upbeat mood as Gloucester face crunch Heineken Champions Cup clash against Toulouse

All Areas > Sport > Rugby Union

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Friday, 17th January 2020, 13:00

Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Gloucester have made four changes to their starting line-up for their make-or-break Heineken Champions Cup clash against Toulouse at the Stade Ernest Wallon on Sunday.

Gloucester go into the weekend still in with a chance of making the quarter-finals as one of the best placed runners-up, and head coach Johan Ackermann has kept the changes to a minimum.

Mark Atkinson returns to the midfield where he will partner Billy Twelvetrees at centre, while Lloyd Evans takes over from the injured Danny Cipriani at fly-half.

Meanwhile in the pack, Alex Craig, named in the senior Scotland squad for the first time this week, partners Franco Mostert in the second row and Jake Polledri returns in the back row having missed the Montpellier game last weekend.

In a week dominated by talk of international call-ups and quarter-final qualification scenarios, Ackermann insists that all Gloucester’s attention is on the 80 minutes at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

"Our focus is solely on Toulouse," he said. "It’s going to be a big challenge, they were one of the favourites before the tournament started and they haven’t disappointed. They’ve played well, they’re unbeaten, they’re a quality side.

"But we’re not just going there to make the numbers up, we’re going there to see if we can get the win. Not to take anything away from Toulouse, we can’t worry about what they’re going to do this week. I believe they will be as strong as they can be as they have a lot to play for.

"But the reality is that we can only control ourselves, our destiny and our performance. Our biggest focus this week has been getting our mental and physical preparation ready to give us a chance."

Gloucester: 15. Jason Woodward; 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. Billy Twelvetrees, 12. Mark Atkinson, 11. Ollie Thorley; 10. Lloyd Evans, 9. Willi Heinz (capt); 1. Val Rapava-Ruskin, 2. Todd Gleave, 3. Ciaran Knight; 4. Alex Craig, 5. Franco Mostert; 6. Jake Polledri, 7. Lewis Ludlow, 8. Ruan Ackermann. Replacements: 16. Henry Walker, 17. Alex Seville, 18. Josh Hohneck, 19. Gerbrandt Grobler, 20. Freddie Clarke, 21. Joe Simpson, 22. Owen Williams, 23. Tom Marshall.

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