FREDDIE Burns has been dropped to the bench for Gloucester’s crunch derby with Worcester Warriors on Sunday.
The fly-half, who comes out of contract at the end of the season, has been struggling for form in recent weeks and has attributed his below par performances to uncertainty over his future.
But Nigel Davies appears to have run out of patience with the in-limbo star and has handed Billy Twelvetrees the number 10 jersey.
Davies was bitterly disappointed with Burns’ directionless performance against Edinburgh last week and Twelvetrees has run at fly-half throughout the week in training.
The decision comes as speculation linking Burns to Leicester Tigers intensifies. Regular Tigers fly-half Toby Flood is reportedly on the verge of sealing a move to Top14 giants Toulouse although he has denied a decision has been made.
Richard Cockerill has already admitted interest in both Burns and Scarlets fly-half Rhys Priestland and the Tigers have held preliminary talks with both players’ representatives.
Priestland, who was nurtured by Davies in west Wales, is also understood to be on Gloucester’s shortlist if Burns joins the East Midlands club.
Davies said: “There’s a lot going on at the moment and as and when there are announcements we will make them.
“In terms of internal contracts we are delighted with what we have been able to do so far and there will be more to come. I’m happy with who we have been able to keep.â€
With stand-in skipper Twelvetrees lining up at fly-half, Henry Trinder and Mike Tindall take centre-stage in the midfield, with Charlie Sharples returning to the wing.
Nick Wood also returns following his European ineligibility absence while new signing Sila Puafisi makes his first start on the tight head.
Matt Cox and Matt Kvesic will both be up against their former club in the festive firecracker, while Akapusi Qera, who has been linked to Toulouse, is named the bench.
Kvesic only made the journey down the M5 in the summer but Davies has backed the flanker to keep his cool against his former teammates and reckons he is near a return to his best.
He said: “Going up against your old club is not always easy but he is so focussed on success it will not be an issue.
“In his position it’s always the case where you have to be mindful and measured in what you do. He is aggressive at the contact area, he wants to get involved in virtually every breakdown and has to find his rhythm in the game.
“But he’s a Gloucester player, supported the team for a long time and is in the environment he wants to be in.
“There was a good opportunity in the summer with England. Stuart Lancaster took a largely inexperienced squad to give them exposure and it was good exposure for Matt who did extremely well.
“He’s still very young, is learning his trade and will only get better. He has come into a new environment, with new systems to learn and needs to find his strength within the team.
“His form has been decent but we know there’s a lot more to come from him and we expect to see that.â€
Worcester have not won a single league encounter since March last season and desperately need to begin winning if they are to avoid relegation.
With Gloucester 11-points clear but struggling for form there is sure to be a red-hot atmosphere at Kingsholm and Davies has urged his side to hit the ground running.
He added: “You can’t expect the crowd to lift the team, the team have to lift the crowd. Every team that comes here, and Worcester will know all about us because of their coaching staff, will absolutely be saying ‘we have to shut up the Gloucester crowd’.
“It’s up to us and the supporters to make sure that doesn’t happen.â€
Gloucester Rugby:
R Cook; C Sharples, H Trinder, M Tindall, J May; B Twelvetrees (capt), J Cowan; N Wood, D Dawidiuk, S Puafisi; E Stooke, J Hudson; M Cox, M Kvesic, B Morgan
Replacements: H Edmonds, Y Thomas, S Knight, T Hicks, Ai Qera, D Robson, F Burns, M Thomas
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22826506
Gloucester Rugby: Burns dropped for derby match
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