George Skivington reacts to Gloucester's new signings Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake & Dan Robson - Ruck
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George Skivington reacts to Gloucester’s new signings Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake & Dan Robson

16 December 2025
Matt Priest

By Matt Priest

It has been a whirlwind 24 hours in the West country as Gloucester Rugby have announced the signings of three players for next season as well as the departure of their captain Tomos Williams. Wales co-captains, Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan are Kingsholm bound and there is a return to Gloucester for former Cherry and White Dan Robson from Pau in the Top 14.

Morgan and Lake bring in some much needed experience to a young Gloucester pack that has been riddled with injuries over the first four months of the season. The Ospreys pair have a combined 50 international caps for Wales with the former also having two test appearances for the British and Irish Lions. The blend of leadership and experience will certainly elevate a Gloucester pack that was left bone thin due to players leaving and injuries to start the season.

Gloucester Director of Rugby, George Skivington, was full of praise when asked about the Welsh duo, “When Jac and Dewi came up, it only took one conversation with either of them for me to be pretty sure they’d be the right blokes for here and after a few more conversations we got the deals done”.

Over the summer, Gloucester’s recruitment policy was centred around young players but that has seemingly shifted to bringing in the big names, speaking about the shift in policy Skivington said “from our point of view we’ve grown a pretty good foundation of a squad with young, primarily Gloucester players.

“The recruitment shift isn’t going to be massive this year; we’re bringing a smaller number than we did last year but some experienced heads and some leadership being our focus points but the right people.”

After 19 departures from the side in the summer it was clear that this season was not going to be as fruitful as last season for the West country side but after a rough start The Cherry and Whites have won four of their last five games in all competitions with impressive wins against Castres in the Champions cup and Harlequins in the PREM amongst these wins.

Skivington’s men have started clicking and much too the delight of the Kingsholm faithful the tide is seemingly turning on their season. Morgan and Lake’s addition to the Gloucester pack is one that will surely excite fans of Gloucester and the PREM alike, Morgan’s addition to the back row will certainly give his fellow countryman and Gloucester starlet, Deian Gwynne much to learn from after the teenager broke into the Gloucester team this season. Gwynne has shone so far and there aren’t many better players in the world to learn from than Jac Morgan.

Lake will elevate the Gloucester front row next season playing between the likes of Val Rapava-Ruskin, Ciaran Knight, Afo Fasogbon and Nepo Laulala. With the unfortunate loss of Jack Singleton to a heart condition over the summer, Gloucester’s hooker options have been quite thin. Long time clubman Seb Blake has seen the majority of game time with new

Signing Jack Innard and 18 year old, Kealan Freeman-Price also getting some game time. Lake’s addition will elevate the Gloucester front line to one of the leagues powerhouses.

It’s not just the two Welshman joining Kingsholm next season, former Gloucester scrum half, Dan Robson, returns to England after three seasons out in France. The Pau number 9 joined the Top 14 after his previous club, Wasps, went into administration. Skivington spoke highly when asked about bringing the 33 year old back to Kingsholm.

“I think Dan is a quality player, I tried to sign him a couple of years ago so I already knew Dan would be a good fit for us. I think he compliments the nines we have got in the building really well.”

Apart from club captain Williams, who is departing the side at the end of the season, the Gloucester scrum half room consists of Caolan Englefield and Mikey Austin, two young scrum halves with lots of potential and rugby left in them.

Despite his age, Robson still has lots of kick left in him and the former England international has not been slowing up. “He’s coming to play” Skivington said “he’s obviously a little bit older now, he’s got a huge amount of experience and I think Caolan is a brilliant character and I think they’ll push each other really hard.”

The news out of Kingsholm over the past 24 hours hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for Gloucester fans however as club captain and last years PREM rugby player of the season, Tomos Williams, has announced his departure at the end of the season. Williams joined Gloucester ahead of the 2024/25 campaign from Cardiff and was an immediate sensation.

His electric play and pure ability to change a game by himself elated rugby fans all around the world. In an effort to keep him for the long run, Gloucester gave Williams the captaincy for the season but it was not enough to keep him around.

Speaking on Williams’s exit Skivington reiterated how “That is rugby, that’s sport, there is no hard feelings from my point of view with Tommy and he’s in here for the rest of the season so he’ll remain captain for the rest of the year and I know he’ll give everything to the club”.

Although the loss of Williams is massive, these three excellent signings will put Gloucester into a great place for next season adding too the talented young core that is currently at Kingsholm. Combing Morgan, Lake and Robson with the likes of England pair Arthur Clark and Seb Atkinson as well as the Welsh core of Freddie Thomas, max Llewellyn and Josh Hathaway, Gloucester have set themselves up with some star players that will push them up the table and into the playoffs spots which they were so unlucky to miss out on last season.

It may be seen as a rebuilding year at Kingsholm but Skivington’s men are looking like a dangerous side for the remainder of the season and into next season

Gloucester travel to Mattioli Woods Welford Road to face off against a spirited Leicester Tigers side who sit fourth in the PREM but the Tigers are on a run of two straight losses and with Gloucester finding form in the past six weeks it’s all to play for.

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