Paul Moriarty is Gloucester's new defence coach © PA Photos

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Players/Officials: Paul Moriarty

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Teams: England | Newcastle Falcons | Scarlets

Gloucester have bolstered their backroom staff with Paul Moriarty joining as their defence coach.

With Carl Hogg taking charge of the forwards and Mike Tindall helping out with the backs in a player/coach capacity, Moriarty is the latest new face to join Nigel Davies' staff. The pair worked together at the Scarlets in the past and more recently, Moriarty was Alan Tait's assistant at the Newcastle Falcons.

Davies is delighted with the capture of Moriarty and he is looking forward to linking-up with his old colleague. "Paul is somebody I've worked with at the Scarlets, we worked together when we won the Celtic League a few years ago," Davies said. "He brings a lot of passion to whatever he does. He was always a hard man as a rugby player, a man who deserves respect.

"In this role, we need someone who can make sure that the players are on top of things and, in particular, bring a physical edge to that side of the game. If you look at Gloucester last season, one of the reasons we didn't achieve what we wanted to was our defensive performance.

"His time at the Falcons means that he's got experience of the Aviva Premiership and a good knowledge of the teams that we'll come up against which will be beneficial. He'll focus on the core skills of defence - tackling technique, the contact area, line speed and all the organisation around that."

Davies has also revealed that he is looking to bring in a scrum coach. "John Brain did a fantastic job there and we want to continue the good work that he's done," Davies said. "We're looking at some people who've worked with John and have picked up his philosophies and ideas and hope to make that announcement in the next week or two."