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PREM boss addresses ex-Ireland star’s future: ‘That’s not what we brought him in for’ Ireland fly-half Ross Byrne remains firmly in Gloucester’s plans for the upcoming PREM Rugby season, amid speculation over his future in the West Country. The 31-year-old back was recently tipped with a potential return to the Emerald Isle to join Munster, following an injury blow to star fly-half Jack Crowley, but it seems he is set to stay with the PREM outfit and could be a key cog in Skivington’s side in 2026/27. His links with Munster also come following reports that he was attracting the interest of Top 14 side Perpignan, but that move never materialised. Gloucester boss addresses Ross Byrne’s future amid Munster links Rumours surrounding Byrne’s potential exit also come amid the backdrop of a disappointing maiden campaign at Kingsholm, following his high-profile move from Leinster. England star ‘almost a new recruit’ as PREM side set to welcome back ‘keen as mustard’ forward After previously being a regular in the side during the opening 9 rounds, Byrne found himself usurped by England-capped rival Charlie Atkinson as Gloucester’s starting fly-half and made just one appearance in the final 9 weeks of the PREM season. His last appearance of any kind also came off the bench during the PREM Rugby Cup block in February. But, despite finding himself pushed down the pecking order last time out, head coach Skivington has revealed Byrne remains very much in his plans for the upcoming campaign. “Ross is still with us,” said the Cherry and Whites boss. “It was a combination of things, really, but the biggest thing last year was Charlie (Atkinson) upped his game unbelievably. He really took his chance. Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. “Ross happened to be a headline signing, but Charlie, who we’ve invested a number of years in, came through and that’s the way it is. At that point we were out of Europe and needed the PREM Cup to get ready for the PREM and then the PREM was broken up. The season didn’t allow for rotation in the position we were in. “It was a little bit of a perfect storm, but Ross is with us and he’s had a great pre-season. We’ll see what happens. Northampton Saints boss makes ‘happy medium’ admission as Henry Pollock future update issued “Definitely,” Skivington added when asked if he’ll get more game time this time round. “He has to get more game time. “The start of last year was tricky for a number of reasons, and he was in the middle of that and trying to manage that was difficult. We’re starting in three tournaments at this point, so there will be opportunities to rest and rotate. “We’ve had some good conversations. Nobody wants him doing that role (the backup), that’s not what we brought him in for.