Gloucester fans ruffle feathers in boisterous start for experiment

The Premiership’s away zone trial was barely 12 minutes old when a member of the security staff felt the need to intervene. Perhaps he had taken exception to the dozens of schoolkids in the Gloucester section lambasting Saracens’ No 10, Fergus Burke, with: “You’re just a shit Owen Farrell.”

Maybe he did not appreciate the lyrical complexities of the evidently pre-rehearsed: “What do we think of Saracens? Shit!” Either way, the decision to trial away zones in two Premiership fixtures this month has polarised opinion and it is a safe bet which side of the fence the security staff member now sits.

As it was, no one was ejected from the stadium and things settled down a touch after the half-time break –barring the odd “You don’t know what you’re doing” in the direction of the referee – with the in-form hooker Theo Dan scoring two tries as Saracens came from 14-12 down to claim a 36-14 victory and move into fourth in the table. And if a bunch of schoolkids letting off a bit of steam was not exactly what the Premiership had in mind, at least the Gloucester away zone created a bit of a stir.

In the buildup, the trial provoked a backlash from the traditionalists regardless of their club allegiance. Those who hold “rugby values” so dear have pushed back against the idea. For those at the extreme end of the opposition, the very utterance of “away zone” seems rooted in a fear that a hardcore band of Cherry & Whites might descend, complete with flares and balaclavas, ready to raze the StoneX Stadium to the ground. For them, the football-terrace chanting here will not have been well received. “Absolutely awful,” was the verdict of one spectator sitting nearby.

In total, somewhere around 150 Gloucester supporters sat together. Each was provided with flags, little bigger than an A2 sheet of paper, and much of the contingent – billing itself as the Shed on Tour – came from two community clubs, Old Cryptians and Brockworth. Fancy dress efforts included Super Mario, and a Buzz Lightyear and Woody double act, and, far from waving flares, most were not even old enough to buy fireworks.

There was a determination to enjoy their moment in the sun, the familiar “Glaaaaaaw-sterrrrr” refrain getting a good few outings, an early handling error by the hosts was greeted by chants of “Eeyore!” and, emboldened by Chris Harris’s early try for the visitors, “Same old Sarries, always cheating!” was given plenty of air time. Still, more foul-mouthed Famous Five than Football Factory.

“I enjoyed it actually, there were a few chants I hadn’t heard before,” said Gloucester’s head coach, George Skivington, while his opposite number, Mark McCall, was equally positive. “I think it’s a good thing. I watched the Munster fans [in the Champions Cup] and that brought something magic to the atmosphere. That’s what the game needs.”

Canvassing opinion among visiting Gloucester supporters, plenty of whom opted to mix with Saracens supporters instead, and responses were varied. “First I’ve heard of it,” was an ominous start on the way to the ground but most fell into two camps. Curiosity and conservatism. Those who were intrigued by the prospect, eager to give it a whirl and those who do not like the idea of change. “We don’t want to go down the football route”, appears to be the main argument against, “there’s no need for it”, said another.

Certainly the ability to mix with opposing supporters, the “banter” that comes with it, is a significant part of the experience for a lot of fans and anything that puts that in jeopardy is not welcome. Maybe the most interesting point raised was that away areas would be more effective on European trips, when visiting atmospheres tend to be more hostile, when “making your voice heard” is that much more difficult.

Premiership officials have been at pains to point out that visiting fans are still welcome to mix with home fans. That the away zones are not obligatory. Heralding the trial as a “progressive step”, they point to how this is a move endorsed by the players “who say that they thrive off the noise and energy that a vocal cluster of away support can bring”.

If it can make Premiership fixtures a better spectacle for those watching on TV, all the better because there is a new contract to negotiate and leading officials have been clear that the best way to drive much-needed revenue into the league is a bumper broadcast deal. On this evidence, let’s just say it is early days. Next week Harlequins take their Ultras of Suburbia to Welford Road and a good few hundred are expected. They have what was in effect teenagers getting their kicks to beat, but that is famously easier said than done.