Gallagher Premiership: Ugo Monye says Gloucester's first win in 100 days a 'defining moment'

Ugo Monye believes Gloucester’s victory over Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership could prove to be a "defining moment" going forward this season and into next.

The 32-20 win at Kingsholm Stadium was the first for the Cherry and Whites in 100 days in the Gallagher Premiership and snapped a club-record nine-game losing streak.

It still left them down in ninth, above only Newcastle Falcons and 14 points adrift of the top four, but gave them renewed optimism for the rest of the campaign.

And Monye, a former Harlequins and England winger, likened the situation to the one Bath found themselves in last year.

After a poor start, Johan van Graan’s Bath finished with a flourish and carried that momentum into this season to establish themselves as title contenders both domestically and in Europe.

"It is a stretch to get into the top four when you see the quality there and the form which a lot of them are currently on, but I want to use Bath as a comparison to Gloucester," Monye said on TNT Sports.

"Bath this season, their foundation was built in the last six rounds of last season, wasn't it? They went on a massive run - six bonus-point victories, which got them into the Investec Champions Cup and, of course, they're flying in that as well as the Gallagher Premiership.

"These scenes here, as we've said 100 days [without a win], that chemical stimulus and that feel-good factor of all the hard work getting a positive outcome and you felt as if today was quite a defining moment.

"When you’re getting the same messaging, when you're working really hard, when you know you're surrounded by quality, but you're not getting the desired output. Finally, they can rest easy for a short while and go into their break feeling really positive."

The manner of the victory will be especially pleasing for Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington.

In a bid to limit injuries, Skivington veered the Cherry and Whites away from their DNA, but he decided to hit the reset button after suffering a heavy 51-26 loss away to Bristol Bears at the start of December.

Since then, he has seen his side win four successive Challenge Cup games to qualify for the last 16 and push Northampton, Harlequins and Bath – the top three teams in the Premiership – close.

"I think that was a really committed performance, that’s probably been coming for us in the Premiership," Skivington told

.

"The last eight weeks since we reset just before the first European block, the boys have committed wholly to getting back on track and what we need to do and what that needs to look like. Most of that tonight was on point."

Gloucester signalled their intent right from the get-go against Sale. Ollie Thorley produced an incredible try-saving tackle to deny Cobus Wiese a certain score in the fifth minute before moments later gathering a loose Rob du Preez pass and storming nearly the length of the Kingsholm pitch to put the hosts ahead.

Gus Warr responded for The Sharks, but Gloucester ran in three further tries in a first-half blitz to secure the bonus point and establish a 16-point lead at the break.

"As a group we’re desperate to get some wins in the Premiership and you saw that the way they came out with the energy but they also played accurately and took their chances when they were on," Skivington added.

"Our set-piece and defence was back on track and some of the kick chasing was outstanding."

Sale responded in the second half and got within nine points after Tommy Taylor’s try in the 68th minute, but Skivington’s side were able to hang on to go into the seven-week domestic break with a victory.

"The momentum definitely shifted against us in the last 20 minutes and we went down to 14 men," Skivington continued. "So to hold Sale out like that and then regain the pressure and close the game out the way they did, I’m really proud of that."

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