London Irish booked themselves a home Powergen Cup semi-final on March 9 after
goal-kicking ace Barry Everitt booted Gloucester into submission.
Rugby Football Union chiefs have already announced that both last-four clashes
will take place at Reading's Madejski Stadium.
And the RFU decision promises to give Irish a major advantage, although fellow
semi-finalists Harlequins, Northampton and Newcastle might feel somewhat
aggrieved by Twickenham's seemingly premature move.
Irish have enjoyed considerable success at the Madejski Stadium this season,
and would realistically expect a five-figure crowd to roar them on in pursuit of
a Twickenham cup final trip.
The semi-final draw takes place in Reading on Tuesday, and none of Irish's
fellow survivors will realistically fancy a fixture against the Exiles.
Fly-half Everitt once again came up trumps on the big occasion, kicking 20
points from five penalties, a drop goal and conversion against a disappointing
Gloucester outfit in rain-swept conditions.
The try count ended all square, yet Everitt proved the difference, slotting a
perfect six out of six kicks to punish Gloucester's indiscipline.
Overall the game proved a poor spectacle for a crowd of just over 8,000 as
Gloucester failed to get out of second gear.
They badly missed the presence of suspended front-row forwards Trevor Woodman
and Olivier Azam, together with their injured captain Phil Vickery, and after
building a 16-7 interval lead, Irish comfortably consolidated their advantage.
Everitt kicked an eighth minute penalty to open the scoring, and then the
Exiles grabbed a soft try which owed everything to appalling Gloucester
defence.
Centre Terry Fanolua dropped Henry Paul's pass just outside his own 22, and
Irish wing Paul Sackey snaffled up possession, racing over from 25 metres
through the attempted tackles of Joe Ewens and Ludovic Mercier.
Gloucester were 10 points adrift before they knew what had hit them, and a
second Everitt penalty ensured Irish were well on their way midway through the
opening period.
Scrum half Andy Gomarsall gave Gloucester a glimmer of hope when he dived over
for a 30th-minute try after a great run by flanker Jake Boer. Mercier converted,
yet Everitt's 40th-minute drop goal restored daylight between the sides.
The second half was a largely forgettable affair as conditions worsened,
Everitt kicking three more penalties to just one by Mercier, and however hard
Gloucester tried a combination of their poor handling and well-organised Irish
defence frustrated every effort.
Gloucester still have the European Shield and the Zurich Premiership as
possible passports into Europe next season, but that cannot gloss over a
disjointed display that will have frustrated their sizeable travelling
contingent of supporters.
Irish march on towards Twickenham, although the controversial choice of
semi-final venue could dominate the headlines ahead of Tuesday's draw.
Teams
London Irish: Horak, Sackey, Appleford, Venter, Bishop,
Everitt, Martens, Worsley, Kirke, Hardwick, Strudwick,
Williams, Cockle, Danaher, Sheasby.
Replacements: Barrett for Martens (80),
Halford for Hardwick (48).
Not Used: Brown, Thrower, Starling, Delaney, Drotske.
Tries: Sackey.
Cons: Everitt.
Pens: Everitt 5.
Drop Goals: Everitt.
Gloucester: Mercier, O'Leary,
Ewens, Fanolua, Simpson-Daniel,
Paul, Gomarsall, Pucciarello, Fortey, Deacon, Pearce, Fidler,
Boer, Forrester, Caillet.
Replacements: Garvey for Mercier (75), Sewabu for Caillet (75).
Not Used: Yachvili, Todd, Collazo, Irish, Cornwell.
Tries: Gomarsall.
Cons: Mercier.
Pens: Mercier.
Att: 8,076
Ref: Steve Lambert (RFU).
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