BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | English | Gloucester surge past Irish

London Irish 19-40 Gloucester

In-form Gloucester beat battling London Irish to record their seventh win in nine league games and consolidate their position at the top of the Zurich Premiership.

The Cherry and Whites earned a bonus point by scoring four tries, despite being without five first-choice players, who were missing due to international duty and suspensions.

The visitors started well, sending Adam Eustace over for the game's first try to cancel out Irish's early Barry Everitt penalty.

It is hard to believe it was a 40-19 defeat - they were the better side but at one point it was anyone's game

Connor O'Shea
London Irish director

Andy Gomersall did the damage, switching the run of play before offloading to Ludovic Mercier and Terry Fanolua before Eustace touched down.

Everitt replied with an 11th-minute penalty but Mercier kept Gloucester 13-6 ahead with two further penalties.

When Irish clawed their way back before the break, they owed much to luck.

Good work from scrum-half Darren Edwards set Michael Horak up to score, but the full-back lost control of the ball with Gomersall in pursuit.

Roncero had the final try of the match

Referee Ashley Rowden, however, saw fit to award a controversial penalty try which Everitt duly converted to make the score 16-16 at half-time.

Forward Junior Paramore put Gloucester back in front when he muscled his way over the try-line soon after the restart.

But Mercier missed the conversion and Everitt kept Irish's score ticking over with his fourth penalty.

Then the Exiles ran out of steam.

Gloucester's Jake Boer broke loose in the midfield to offload to James Forrester for a 64th-minute try, before flanker Boer scored from a line-out.

It was a fantastic game from our point of view

Nigel Melville
Gloucester director

Argentine prop Rodrigo Roncero then rounded off the afternoon with an injury-time converted try.

The defeat dealt a severe blow to the Irish.

They have only two league wins under their belt, while nearest rivals Bath and Bristol both picked up big wins at the weekend.

London Irish: Horak, Rossouw, Burrows, Venter, Bishop, Everitt, Edwards, Worsley, Drotske, Halford, Strudwick, Kennedy, Gustard, Dawson, Sheasby.
Replacements: Barrett, Mapletoft, Cockle, Flavin, Delaney, Hatley, Durant.

Gloucester: Paul, Garvey, Fanolua, Todd, Delport, Mercier, Gomarsall, Roncero, Fortey, Deacon, Fidler, Eustace, Boer, Forrester, Paramore.
Replacements: Stuart-Smith, O'Leary, Catling, Frost, Azam, Irish, Buxton.

Referee: Ashley Rowden (RFU)


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