GEORGE Skivington has warned London Irish they must be ready for a trip to a ‘hostile’ Kingsholm when they visit Gloucester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup tomorrow (3pm).

Exiles will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 26-22 home defeat to Bath, and forwards coach Skivington said: “The hostile places are in my experience the fun ones to go to. You’ve got to be on your mettle because the opposition fans operate like a 16th man so you can forget getting any decisions on your side from the officials.

“They’re the sort of things that are part and parcel of rugby and if you’re the sort of person who enjoys that and confrontation then you’ll thrive on it.”

He continued: “They’ll be a few guys getting opportunities next week who’ll never have been in to that environment, but as we say it’s a great opportunity for us to send the guys out there and say ‘this is the reality’, the physicality, the crowds you have to deal with’.”

Flanker Max Northcote-Green, who scored two tries against Bath, added: “Gloucester have been in good form so it’s going to be another challenge.”