Gloucester (9) 28
Tries: Simpson-Daniel, Bailey, Qera Cons: Walker 2 Pens: Walker 3

Newcastle (14) 20
Tries: Phillips, May Cons: May 2 Pens: May Drop-goal: May

Leaders Gloucester came from 11 points down in the last 20 minutes to clinch victory over Newcastle at Kingsholm.

Newcastle let a 20-9 lead slip as James Simpson-Daniel then James Bailey crossed for the home side.

Gloucester had most of the first-half possession but Newcastle pounced on sloppy mistakes to score twice, through Ollie Phillips and Tom May.

Gloucester sealed the win when Luke Narraway charged down May's drop-goal attempt and Akapusi Qera ran in.

"We had to be patient but we got there in the end.

"It was a pretty competitive game and we could easily have lost through not having done a huge amount wrong."

"We didn't make them work for their 14 points before half-time and that increased the hurdles we had to get over."

"James Simpson-Daniel was the best player on the pitch and how he isn't in the national fold I don't know.

"He gave Gloucester a huge amount of go-forward and if that guy ever wants to come up to the North East, tell him to give me a call," said Fletcher.

"Everything we did was first class, so the defeat is hard to take, but we've got to use it as fuel to move forward."

Newcastle: May; Phillips, Dillon, A Tait, Rudd; Jones, Dickson; McDonnell, Thompson, Hayman, Perry, Sorenson, Parling, Woods, Dowson (capt).
Replacements: Long, D Wilson, Swinson, B Wilson, Grindal, Shaw, Visser.

Gloucester: Walker; Simpson-Daniel, Adams, Allen, Foster; Lamb, Cooper; Wood, Titterrell; Forster, James, Brown, Buxton (capt), Hazell, Narraway.
Replacements: Azam, Califano, Pendlebury, Qera, Prendergast, James, Bailey.