Gloucester produced a smash and grab Powergen Cup performance to earn a
quarter-final place with victory at Welford Road.
They stunned Leicester with two decisive second half tries - one a penalty
award and the other from Nathan Mauger - to earn a thoroughly deserved victory
against one of the form clubs in Europe.
The game was never a thing of beauty but Leicester rarely got into their
stride and could not score the try that may have swung the game after the
break.
The first period was anything but riveting. Two successive weeks of
considerable hurly-burly in the Heineken Cup had prompted a raft of changes,
particularly for the home side, who left the vast proportion of their
international contingent out of the squad.
But, even without the leading hard-heads who had dismembered Wasps twice in
two weeks, they still found themselves ahead at the break.
For that they had to thank the persistence and drive of winger Tom Varndell,
who chased down Leon Lloyd's neat little roller behind Gloucester's defence,
kept going when Marcel Garvey expected the ball to run dead, hacked behind Jon
Goodridge and won the foot race to score.
The conversion from Ross Broadfoot took the Tigers 7-3 ahead on the stroke of
half-time and will have infuriated Gloucester no end.
They had slightly edged a contest that was a virtual stalemate thanks to a
solitary Henry Paul penalty but, although they attempted to play a good deal of
rugby, made little impact on Leicester's solid defence.
But the gift-wrapped score was exactly the incentive Leicester needed and,
although there was some impressive work from Andy Hazell and Adam Balding on the
ground, Leicester scrapped themselves ahead.
There was little in the way of genuine attacking threat from either side.
Gloucester pressed across the field, prompted by the excellent Andy Gomarsall,
but made little progress, while Leicester looked mean and moody in the scrum and
drove the ball well, even without the predatory instincts of Martin Johnson,
Neil Back, Martin Corry and Julian White.
Gloucester were also hamstrung by the fact Paul missed three other kicks at
goal - one he should have potted in his sleep, as the visitors turned over any
number of good opportunities.
Broadfoot and Paul exchanged penalties at the start of the second half before
Gloucester enjoyed their best period of the match. They drove a couple of
penalties deep into Leicester territory and cranked up the heat with a series of
well driven line-outs.
Leicester defended frantically - and not always legally - and when another
Gloucester move ground to halt, Brett Deacon was yellow-carded for killing the
ball.
Gloucester opted for another line-out and when a combination of Balding and
Pete Buxton got the ball over the line, referee Ashley Rowden awarded a penalty
try for a Leicester infringement.
Paul converted for a 13-10 Gloucester lead and then they blew the match wide
open with a second score two minutes later.
Replacement Roger Warren missed Brad Davies' high kick and Paul swooped to
send Nathan Mauger in for the score. Paul converted and Gloucester were 10
points ahead.
Sam Vesty cut the deficit to seven points with a 74th minute penalty, but
Gloucester had done enough to earn victory.
Teams:
Leicester: Vesty, A. Tuilagi, Lloyd, Smith, Varndell,
Broadfoot, Bemand, Holford, Chuter, Morris, Hamilton, Kay,
B. Deacon, Moody, W. Johnson.
Replacements: Hipkiss for A. Tuilagi (80),
Warren for Broadfoot (59), Taukafa for Chuter (74).
Not Used: Rowntree, L. Deacon, Back, Wright.
Sin Bin: B. Deacon (55).
Tries: Varndell.
Cons: Broadfoot.
Pens: Broadfoot, Vesty.
Gloucester: Goodridge, Garvey, Mauger, Paul, Kiole, B. Davies,
Gomarsall, Bezuidenhout, M. Davies, Powell, Eustace, Brown,
Boer, Hazell, Balding.
Replacements: Buxton for Eustace (49),
Forrester for Hazell (62).
Not Used: Curnier, Wood, Page, Fanolua, Bailey.
Tries: Penalty, Mauger.
Cons: Paul 2.
Pens: Paul 2.
Att: 9,902
Ref: Ashley Rowden (RFU).
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