BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | English | Gloucester set up West Country final

Hooker Olivier Azam was twice warned for driving the front-row up as the visitors' advance gathered momentum, but once the French international had sorted that problem out, Sale's scrum disintegrated.

Skipper Bryan Redpath was left to make the best of crumbling possession and when he failed to spot a loose ball spewing out of one set piece, Gloucester hooker Sewabu pounced.

Ludovic Mercier showed few nerves in an impeccable opening period which saw him land three penalties, a conversion and a smartly-taken 40 metre drop goal.

Through all this, Sale managed just a single Charlie Hodgson penalty and generally looked too tired to care.

Sale hit back

They emerged with renewed vigour after the interval, however, and Bryan Redpath cut through the opposition defences on a couple of occasions with his trademark sniping bursts.

Hodgson pulled a penalty back before full-back Jason Robinson ignited the home attack on the hour with a devastating burst from inside his own 22 metre line.

Jason Robinson started the most impressive move of the match
The Gloucester defence was left trailing as he darted over halfway, collected his own chip, then fed Martin Shaw, who in turn sent Cueto flying down the wing to touchdown in the corner.

But, after winning another scrum against the head, Gloucester quickly launched another powerful assault and referee Steve Lander had no hesitation in awarding the try as scrum-half Gomarsall charged home.

Sale pressed from the re-start but Cueto fumbled Hodgson's pass and Tom Beim collected and roared home from 60 metres to seal a well-deserved visitors' win.

The vociferous visiting supporters, many of whom had decamped in the club bar three hours before kick-off to watch England's World Cup efforts, were by now in jovial mood.

So, when Lander pulled up with a severe muscle strain in the final minutes, the match official found himself subjected to the loudest cheers of the afternoon.

Sale: Robinson, Hanley, Shaw, Harris, Cueto, Hodgson, Redpath, Yates, Titterrell, Turner, C. Jones, Lines, Anglesea, A. Sanderson, Pinkerton.

Replacements: Dickens, Going, Baxendell, Wilks, Perelini, Stewart, Jackman.

Gloucester: Paul, O'Leary, Fanolua, Todd, Beim, Mercier, Gomarsall, Collazo, Azam, Vickery, Fidler, Pearce, Boer, Sewabu, Paramore.

Replacements: Yachvili, Catling, Fortey, Deacon, Woodman, Caillet, Gillies.

Referee: Steve Lander (RFU)


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