Gloucester Rugby are set to unleash their ‘Bayonne boys’ for Friday night’s trip to Cornish Pirates in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Two weeks ago, George Skivington sent a young side to face the French Top 14’s fourth-placed side on their own patch in the Challenge Cup, the result was a heavy 55-17 defeat as the second half got away from them. But with much of the same cast heading to the Mennaye Field this weekend, Cherry and Whites forwards coach Trevor Woodman is confident they will have learned from the experience and can get the job done against the Championship side as Gloucester look to book a place in the knockout stages of the cup competition having lifted the trophy at Kingsholm last March.

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Woodman said: “We are going down there to attack it. We know if we want to progress and get to the knockout stages that we have to put in a decent performance because Pirates are very well-drilled and very well-coached. Their setpiece, mauling game and scrum gives them a very good foundation. “We know what sort of quality they can bring.”

Woodman continued: “We went to Bayonne with a squad that probably won’t be too different to the side we put out on Friday night. They had an opportunity a couple of weeks ago and they saw from that game when they play in system, by-in and are disciplined, they can make it difficult for teams. It is just about being able to do that over and over again. You are not going to be able to do it every moment of a game but it is about backing up more positive moments than negative. The learning from the Bayonne game was not to give teams easy ins.”

With the final touches being put on next season’s squad, Woodman also confessed that some players will essentially be playing for contracts during this run of games in the Premiership Rugby Cup which could stretch to six matches if the Cherry and Whites reach the final again.

Gloucester currently sit second in Pool E behind unbeaten Exeter Chiefs, having beaten Harpurty and Cornish Pirates in tight contests.

Woodman said: “It gives us an opportunity to look at the wider squad. It is that type of time of year when you are trying to plan what your squad is going to look like next year so you want to give people the opportunity to show where they fit into those plans, to see if they can step up.

“There is the opportunity for the more experienced guys to lead as well and bring those guys through and hopefully we might be able to bring a few youngsters who are performing well in the academy through as well.”

Team news

Cornish Pirates: 15 Iwan Price-Thomas 14 Arthur Relton 13 Tom Georgiou 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Will Trewin 10 Iwan Jenkins 9 Dan Hiscocks; 1 Billy Young 2 Sol Moody 3 Ollie Andrews 4 Alfie Bell 5 Matt Cannon 6 Josh King 7 Lucas Dorrell 8 High Bokenham (captain).

Replacements: 16 Harry Hocking 17 James French 18 Tom Connolly 19 Fintan Coleman 20 Tomi Agbongbon 21 Cam Jones 22 Bruce Houston 23 Harry Yates.

Gloucester: 15 George Barton, 14 Ioan Jones, 13 Louis Hillman-Cooper, 12 Will Butler, 11 Jake Morris, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Caolan Englefield, 1 Archie McArthur, 2 Seb Blake (C), 3 Alfie Petch, 4 Freddie Clarke, 5 Cam Jordan, 6 Danny Eite, 7 Jack Gilbert*, 8 Albert Tuisue.

Replacements: 16 George Knowles, 17 Aristot Benz-Salomon, 18 Jono Benz-Salomon, 19 Jayden Wrottesley, 20 Caio James, 21 Rio Ebanks, 22 Morgan Adderly-Jones, 23 Jack Cotgreave

Referee: Ben Wood

Assistant referees: James Milliner-Woodcock and Kevin Williams