Gloucester vs Bristol Prediction: Bears to claim bragging rights

There’s a West Country showdown to look forward to in the second round of games in the Premiership Rugby Cup as Gloucester host rivals Bristol at Kingholm on Friday (19:30BST).

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Gloucester vs Bristol prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in the West Country.

Team News

Starting with the hosts, Gloucester go with Jono Benz-Salomon, George Knowles and Nepo Laulala in the front row.

Locks Deian Gwynne and Hugh Bokenham start in the second row, with skipper Harry Taylor, Caio James and Will Trenholm completing the pack.

Mikey Austin and George Barton start in the half-backs, with the duo of brothers Max Knight and Will Knight in the centres.

Ewan Caven, Jack Cotgreave and Jake Morris start for the Cherry & Whites in the back three.

As for the visitors, Bristol have opted for Sam Grahamslaw, Gabriel Oghre and Lovejoy Chawatama in the front row, with locks Paddy Pearce and Joe Owen in the engine room.

Luka Ivanishvili, Kofi Cripps, Ben Grondona complete the pack in the back-row, while the familiar pairing of skipper Harry Randall and AJ MacGinty start in the half-backs.

Toby Baker and Joe Jenkins start in the centres for the Bears, while the visitors go with an exciting back three of Aidan Boshoff, Louis Rees-Zammit and debutant Tom Jordan.

Match Odds

Gloucester are 13/2 to claim the win on Friday night, while the Bears are 1/11 to make the trip back to Bristol with the victory.

A draw on the night at Kingsholm is available at 22/1.

Bristol -15.5 Handicap @ 20/21

With five players making their senior Gloucester debut in the starting line-up and seven on the bench, it’s fair to say this is an inexperienced Cherry & Whites side that will be taking to the field in this Premiership Rugby Cup clash.

In contrast there is just one debutant in the Bears starting XV and that happens to be new signing Tom Jordan, who has 71 appearances for Glasgow Warriors and won 10 caps for Scotland.

Jordan is in a back three that also includes Reece-Zammit, who is back in rugby union after a brief spell in the US pursuing a career in the NFL.

While Jordan provides an extra playmaker out wide as an international who has also played fly-half and inside centre, Reece-Zammit will provide out and out speed.

With Randall and MacGinty pulling the strings in the half-backs and a Bristol backline that will look to take the fight to some of these inexperienced Gloucester players, this could turn into a one-sided affair in favour of the Bears at Kingsholm.

While Gloucester have had a decent record against Bristol in the Gallagher Premiership, winning their last two meetings, it’s the Bears who can get some revenge on Friday night to win and cover the handicap in the process.

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