Harlequins (25) 25
Tries: Keogh 2, Monye, Malone
Cons: Malone
Pens: Malone

Gloucester battled back from a 12-point half-time deficit to beat Harlequins and remain top of the Premiership.

Visiting Quins scored four early tries through Simon Keogh (twice), Ugo Monye and Chris Malone - but three missed Malone conversions left the door ajar.

And Gloucester showed their resolve, Vainikolo finishing off two moves, the second of which teed up Chris Paterson to fire the hosts narrowly ahead.

A tense finale ensued, Malone missing a drop-goal as the leaders held firm.

Gloucester relied heavily on their pack to push them back into the game after mistakes had handed Harlequins the initiative.

606: DEBATE Who do you think in the Gloucester team deserves a call up from his respective nation? kingcarpy

A couple of ruck infringements gifted Malone his first penalty after two minutes and then David Strettle's pace did the damage.

Playing at outside centre, the England wing scythed through flailing tackles in midfield and combined with De Wet Barry to send Keogh muscling over.

Second best for much of the first half despite Vainikolo's first score, Gloucester sent Mike Tindall over six minutes into the second, with Paterson converting.

Quins conceded a raft of penalties and lost Andy Gomarsall and Ceri Jones to the sin bin as the pressure came to bear from a series of scrums and penalty line-outs within 10 metres of their posts.

Eventually it proved too much as Vainikolo picked up from a ruck and stepped around Chris Robshaw to score his second try.

Paterson's conversion put Gloucester two points ahead with 20 minutes remaining and with Malone skewing a 25m drop-goal, it left the league leaders to run down the clock.

"With some of the changes we'd made, we were so focused on getting bits and pieces right that we'd lost intensity and we talked about taking it back to as simple as we could get it and see what comes off the back of it.

"We were calm at half-time and I thought we got back into the game superbly.

"We solved the problem as soon as we came out when we prioritised what we wanted to think about."

"We got one penalty in the second half from a punch which was picked up by a touch judge.

"I don't know any side these days who can go through a half without giving a penalty away. It's incredible but who am I to question the referee. They're always right.

"We always knew Gloucester had the ability to come back but it is difficult to take."

Gloucester: Morgan, Simpson-Daniel, Tindall, Allen, Vainikolo, Paterson, Cooper, Collazo, Titterrell, Nieto, James, Bortolami, Buxton, Hazell, Delve.
Replacements: Lamb for Paterson (60), Lawson for Cooper (45), Dickinson for Collazo (60), Azam for Titterrell (45), Narraway for James (45), Strokosch for Buxton (53).
Not Used: Balshaw.
Sin Bin: Hazell (24).

Harlequins: Brown, Keogh, Strettle, Barry, Monye, Malone, Gomarsall, Jones, Fuga, Ross, Kohn, Spanghero, Robshaw, Volley, Easter.
Replacements: Turner-Hall for Keogh (63), Percival for Kohn (57), Nebbitt for Volley (52).
Not Used: Brooker, Skinner, So'oialo, Jarvis.
Sin Bin: Gomarsall (50), Jones (53).

Att: 13,506

Ref: David Rose (RFU)