Barkley faces warm welcome
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Olly Barkley, misused and abused by England selectors since he first set foot on an international pitch as a teenager seven years ago, is contemplating the uncomfortable prospect of making his Gloucester debut at the home of Bath, his previous employers, in the second round of Guinness Premiership matches three weeks tomorrow.
Tradition has it that Bath 'turncoats' are given the warmest of receptions – Mark Regan, their former hooker, was memorably kicked from one end of the West Country to the other when he reappeared in a Leeds shirt – and as Gloucester have never won a league game at the Recreation Ground, it could be an interesting afternoon all round. Barkley left the Rec in peculiar circumstances at the end of last season – the Bath hierarchy have never satisfactorily explained their failure to hang on to his services – but his pre-season preparation has been hindered by a wrist injury suffered in England's defeat by the All Blacks in June. He had surgery for a fracture in July, but Gloucester have given up on him appearing in their opening Premiership match, at home to Leicester, on 7 September.
It is not altogether clear where Gloucester, who suffered a heavy 30-9 defeat in this week's warm-up against the top-flight French club Bayonne, intend to play Barkley. Ostensibly, he moved to Kingsholm as an inside centre, but the Cherry and Whites already have an international No 12 in Anthony Allen. If Ryan Lamb, the England Saxons outside-half, fails to shape up in the early games, the head coach Dean Ryan will be sorely tempted to run Barkley in the pivot position.
Ryan may have his issues, but his life is a lot easier than that of Pieter de Villiers, the new coach of South Africa. De Villiers criticised his more experienced players following the world champions' Tri-Nations defeat by New Zealand last weekend, but took a hit of his own yesterday when one of those senior operators, the centre Jean de Villiers, claimed the Boks were playing without proper structure.
"When we won the World Cup people said our rugby was unwatchable, but at this level it is all about winning," Jean de Villiers said. "It's important for us to stop playing too much rugby in our own half. We've created scoring opportunities, but it hasn't helped us."
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