Former England scrum-half Dan Robson has returned to Gloucester after four seasons with French club Pau, describing his time abroad as "amazing" and expressing optimism about his home club's prospects for the new Premiership season.
Life in France and lessons from Dupont
Robson spent four years in the shadow of the Pyrenees with Pau, where his two young sons, Laker and Roux, were born. "It's always going to have a special place in our hearts as a family," he said. He also regularly met up with Jack Willis, a close mate from their time at Wasps before the club's financial collapse forced both to move to France.
Robson witnessed first-hand the improvement in Willis's game since he joined Toulouse and believes the back-row would be a serious asset for England if eligibility rules were changed. "It's pretty scary where his level's at. You want the Premiership still thriving but would I like to see a special circumstance clause? I don't think anyone would begrudge a couple of 'wildcards' in a World Cup year. As an English person I want the best people involved in the next World Cup."
Coming up against Antoine Dupont was also educational. "Dupont is the one. You can feel the energy and confidence coming off the other team when he's on the pitch," Robson said, adding that top players like him want opponents to try to shut them down individually because they are good enough to make late decisions that create opportunities for others.
Rebuilding Gloucester's consistency
Gloucester brought the 34-year-old back to compete for the No 9 shirt with Caolan Englefield, 11 years after he left Kingsholm, where he made 80 appearances. The club has not been known for consistency in recent years, but with Welsh internationals Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan in the squad and Chris Boyd on board as technical director, there is optimism for the new season.
Having been part of a rebuild at Pau, who rose from relegation contenders to the upper reaches of the Top 14, Robson sees no reason why Gloucester cannot do similar. "We've got everything we could possibly want here to succeed," he said. "We're not wanting for anything, which is great. There are no excuses. It just adds that little bit of pressure to look at each individual and say: 'We've got to perform now.'"
Facing Exeter and personal motivation
Gloucester have not featured in the playoffs since 2018-2019 and last topped the end-of-season table 19 years ago. Robson stressed the need for consistency. "It's been all over the shop a little bit on the pitch and that's the big challenge for us this year," he said. "To be really consistent and understand that, while we're not going to win every week, we need to be performing in every game."
The season opens with a test at Exeter, who reached last season's final and are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their move to Sandy Park. "It's always tough to play them at Sandy Park but we've got a great opportunity to go there and really test ourselves," Robson acknowledged.
Robson, nicknamed "Dobby" after the Harry Potter house elf, spent three years in and around the England squad without gaining a full cap before earning 14 caps, all from the bench, after Eddie Jones selected him in 2019. His career was interrupted by deep vein thrombosis, and the Wasps collapse in October 2022 scattered the squad. "My body feels good still and mentally I feel better than ever," he said. "I feel pretty calm and level-headed … and I still love competing. Until that love starts withering I'll keep trucking along."
He singled out Phil Cokanasiga as a teammate to watch this season. "If he gets his game going it's going to look good," Robson said. Reflecting on his return, he added: "The style of rugby in the Prem is brilliant; every team will be saying the same things about wanting to start fast and put in a big performance. It's going to be exciting, edge-of-the-seat stuff and hopefully we can be a part of that. But, ultimately, I've not come back for a jolly. I want to come back and be successful."
