RAMPAGING running rugby is not just for Gloucester's brutal back-row forwards – Henry Trinder is ready to lead the Kingsholm backline's cavalry call.
Wily centre Trinder believes a nucleus of fit-again expansive Kingsholm operators can help Gloucester's backline even the score with the Cherry and Whites pack.
Bulldozers Sione Kalamafoni, Akapusi Qera and Ben Morgan have transformed Gloucester's strike-running game up front this season under Nigel Davies.
But now midfielder Trinder wants the Gloucester backs to weigh into that argument and fulfil their rich attacking potential and their end of the front-foot bargain in the Davies era.
Trinder lines up alongside Tim Molenaar in the centres again as Gloucester take on Northampton Saints in the LV=Cup today (kick-off 3pm).
Gloucester are yet to get their wide game in full working order under new rugby director Davies.
Trinder reckons it is high time the men behind the Kingsholm scrum changed all that, targeting Franklin's Gardens as the ideal starting point.
The 23-year-old said: "The forwards have been awesome and dangerous all season, especially with ball in hand.
"When you've got guys like Sione and Q just running down people's throats, that's obviously pretty difficult to stop.
"It's been great to see, and it's helped us progress definitely.
"We all love having that extra power element there, and I think in the long-run it will make us one of the most dangerous attacking teams.
"But now it's about time that as a backline we caught up with that.
"The forwards have set that pace and we've got to match and even better that.
"We've got such a dangerous and talented backline, and now's the time to start exploiting that.
"There's so much ability and potential there. What we've got to do now is make sure we realise all of it.
"We know what we need to do to unlock our potential, but now we just want to be the stage where we get it done, rather than talk about how we are going to manage it.
"It's a great challenge for the likes of myself, Jonny (May) and Ryan Mills, coming back in now we are fit again, and hopefully it's one that we can help Gloucester crack.
"Last week against Mont de Marsan it was great to see Jonny get some tries, and to grab a couple myself too.
"It was good to remind everyone that we can score tries, we are capable of putting some good moves together.
"And now we've got to do that on a regular basis."
Returning duo Trinder and May claimed try braces in Gloucester's 36-16 Mont de Marsan victory last weekend.
Despite Gloucester's five-try return the Cherry and Whites were still sloppy in many respects and Trinder admits that cannot continue.
Gloucester host Bath in their final LV=Cup group match at Kingsholm a week today, before returning to Premiership action for a pivotal month.
Trips to Northampton, Wasps and Bath surround the Kingsholm league clash with Worcester.
Davies' men will need to emerge from that sequence in hefty credit to threaten a return to the play-off top-four spots and Trinder knows only first-class form will be enough to realise that aim.
He continued: "There were a lot of mistakes, a lot of things holding us back.
"We've got two weeks now and two great opportunities to hone our game, and that's exactly what we're going to do.
"You've got to be going 100 miles an hour come the Premiership, and so we have two games to get our approach in order, before we'll return to the league, and to Northampton.
"We've got to be ready for that league return, because we'll be heading into the make-or-break part of the season."
Wretched injury luck has ravaged Trinder's last 18 months, ankle trouble and a broken jaw hampering last season before this term's groin strain laid him low for three months.
Hoping for better fortune, Trinder added: "That's the aim now, just to try to get a run of games under my belt. It seems to have been one thing after the other.
"These things happen, you've just got to take it on the chin.
"I've had a few in quick succession, and that's just bad luck.
"Hopefully that's all mine dealt with now, and I can just start building some form."
NORTHAMPTON: B Foden, J Wilson, G Pisi, L Burrell, T May, R Lamb, M Roberts, A Waller, M Haywood, T Mercey, M Sorenson, C Day, S Manoa, P Dowson (capt), R Oakley. Replacements: R McMillan, S Tonga'uiha, E Waller, J Craig, B Nutley, L Dickson, S Myler, T Collins.
GLOUCESTER: M Thomas, S Reynolds, H Trinder, T Molenaar, S Monahan, R Mills, D Lewis, Y Thomas, K Britton, D Chistolini, L Lokotui, E Stooke, P Buxton (capt), A Hazell, G Evans. Replacements: T d'Apice, D Murphy, T Heard, T Savage, R Moriarty, J Cowan, M Tindall, R Cook.
