EXPLOSIVE hooker Koree Britton must seize his top-flight chance right now, believes Nigel Davies.
The Gloucester boss has challenged developing front-rower Britton to start realising his potential without delay.
The powerful Torquay-born 21-year-old has recently signed a new two-year deal to stay at Kingsholm.
With Huia Edmonds injured and Darren Dawidiuk banned, Britton starts against Saracens in Gloucester's last Kingsholm Premiership clash of the season this afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
Rugby director Davies slammed his squad for forgetting their team responsibilities in back-to-back defeats to Biarritz and Sale Sharks.
The former Wales centre admitted Britton's situation sums up that of his squad – without discipline and structure on the field, all the rich potential means nothing.
Gloucester have two league games left to secure Heineken Cup rugby and tilt for their outside chance of a place in the end-of-season play-offs.
Only victory today will sustain Gloucester's top-four hopes.
And Davies expects a brutal tussle with the unremitting league leaders.
He explained: "Koree is a very exciting talent, a very powerful, explosive player, but he's still developing.
"He's a young front-row player, and he's got huge potential. But now is his time to take his opportunity.
"He's a great rugby player, a great individual, but he has to understand his role in the team a bit better.
"But I suppose that could be said for all our players after the game on Friday.
"One thing that has defined this group is their resilience and their ability to work as a team.
"We haven't always been spectacular but we've been efficient in what we do.
"And we moved away from that probably in the last two games.
Nobody's panicking but we've just got to get back to the values that define us as a team, and make sure we deliver those today.
"When you've got individual agendas within the team, it's always dangerous.
"In the last two games we've moved away from being a team.
"There's been too many individual agendas, so we've very quickly got back to what we're about this week, in terms of our values and team ethics.
"The boys have been fantastic, they have played for each other all year, but we've just slipped off the last couple of games, and it's just about getting back on board where we need to be."
Saracens have selected a potent side for today's fierce encounter.
And Davies believes whoever wins the gain-line battle – in both defence and attack – will win out.
All Gloucester's beefiest marauders are squeezed into the Cherry and Whites' back-five of the pack to that end, with Tom Savage skippering alongside Lua Lokotui in the second row.
Saracens take on Toulon in the Heineken Cup semi-finals next weekend, but Davies does not think their European excitement will distract them from today's Kingsholm challenge.
Davies continued: "They are a very efficient side, they stick to what they know and they do that very well.
"We really have to be on our mettle, we have to be clear on what our game is, and the real battle will be around the gain-line.
"So we need to win that battle, both with and without the ball.
"And it will be a very physical encounter.
"They've done tremendously well this season, their league form and European form says they are one of the best teams on the continent right now.
"They deserve that status, they have some real quality players, but also some real grafters.
"They understand exactly what they are, they have a clear culture, and because of that they get a lot more out of their players.
"Their Heineken Cup semi-final will have no effect on this match.
"It's a huge game in its own right for both them and us, and if you start looking over your shoulder or start looking at ifs and buts then you lose your focus.
"That goes for both sides.
"So it will be a full-bloodied encounter."
GLOUCESTER: R Cook, C Sharples, H Trinder, B Twelvetrees, J May, F Burns, D Robson, N Wood, K Britton, S Knight, T Savage (capt), L Lokotui, S Kalamafoni, A Qera, B Morgan. Replacements: T d'Apice, D Murphy, Y Thomas, P Buxton, A Hazell, D Lewis, R Mills, M Thomas.
SARACENS: A Goode, C Wyles, J Tomkins, O Farrell, D Strettle, C Hodgson, R Wigglesworth, R Gill, J Smit, M Stevens, S Borthwick (capt), A Hargreaves, J Wray, W Fraser, E Joubert. Replacements: J George, M Vunipola, C Nieto, G Kruis, J Burger, B Spencer, D Taylor, J Maddock.
