The back-row, whose side visit Newcastle on Saturday, backs the Premiership strugglers to kick on under George Skivington
Ruan Ackermann considered leaving Gloucester when his father, Johan, ended his contract as head coach at Kingsholm prematurely to move to
Japan last May, but the lure of playing for
England proved too strong. The back-row, who qualifies through residency having joined the Premiership club in 2017, had only had one boss in his senior career, which started with the Lions in his native
South Africa.
“The biggest thing for me is the need to be challenged in life,” the 25-year-old says. “It was a shock to me when my father left Gloucester because I did not know anything about it. He could not come and say goodbye to everyone. The thought of moving on did go through my mind, but I saw it as an opportunity to grow as a player and move out of a comfort zone, and prove to someone new what kind of player I was.