Gloucester Rugby Rugby Challenge Cup at Twickenham Stoop, beating Edinburgh 19-13 in the final. In 2016, Martin St Quinton acquired 100% full ownership of the club to become new chairman of Gloucester Rugby with immediate effect. During the 2016-17 season, Gloucester reach the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, losing 17-25 to Stade Francais at Murrayfield. During the 2017-18 season, Gloucester reach the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, marking three European finals in four seasons, but lost to Cardiff 31-30 at San Mames Stadium, Bilbao. Gloucester Rugby play home matches at Kingsholm Stadium. The club left the Spa Ground
Zimbabwe national rugby union team that year playing six matches, the first against Surrey at Twickenham and one of the others being against Gloucestershire at Kingsholm on 1 October. That same year, the ZRU would sever all its ties to the South African Rugby Board due to mounting pressure to boycott the apartheid regime; while Zimbabwe would gain international acceptance was a rugby side, they would no longer have the benefit of having teams in the Currie Cup and other competitions. They played their first international game as Zimbabwe on 7 July 1981 against Kenya, winning 34 to 24. Throughout the 1980s, Zimbabwe would play