Gloucester hold their nerve

QUITE how Wasps were still in with a chance of winning this game with five minutes to go under the Gloucester posts is difficult to comprehend.

Had they landed a winning score at that stage and won the game it would have been a huge injustice, although the Cherry and Whites would only have had themselves to blame after failing to capitalise on huge swathes of possession.

Olly Barkley had a rare off day and missed five from eight kicks which, when put next to a late Ryan Lamb missed drop goal, meant Gloucester had let 15 points slip by.

Dave Walder, on the other hand, landed all six of his attempts, which kept Wasps in the game and meant it was a nervous time for the watching masses as the visitors pummelled the Gloucester line late on.

Meanwhile, the Wasps back row excelled at the break-down, making quick attacking ball a rarity, both Tom Rees and Serge Betsen doing a fine job of slowing it down.

Skipper Betsen paid the price in the second half with 10 minutes in the sinbin for a particularly cynical offence, leaving an already creaking scrum one short at a crucial stage.

A Gloucester bonus point had been on the cards when Akapusi Qera scored their third try from close range three minutes after coming on for his first game in nine months. The Fijian flopped over the line after a home scrum, which dominated all afternoon, had done the hard work.

The Nick Wood, Olivier Azam, Greg Somerville axis were at their most damaging best, the Kiwi in particular making mincemeat of rookie Wasp Charlie Beech – their fifth choice prop in action because of injuries and international call-ups.

Even when Andy Titterrell came off the bench late on, the usual problems in the front row did not materialise. Somerville and company had their men beaten by this point.

There were two excellent tries to behold from Gloucester in the first half, as they won the try count 3-1 and showed the greater endeavour, if not the cutting edge at times.

The first came from Olly Morgan in the 29th minute after Carlos Spencer ran the ball from inside the Gloucester 22, something Ryan Lamb seemed to be banned from doing this season. But when you're running hot, as Spencer has been since he joined the Cherry and Whites, these things come off and Morgan streaked through, beating Mark Van Gisbergen and going in from fully 70 metres.

It took a conference in front of the Shed between Sean Davey and his touch judge, but the try was eventually awarded and six minutes later Gloucester were running another one in, this time from 40 metres and through Iain Balshaw. Barkley provided the deadly pass, with Van Gisbergen again the man beaten.

But neither score gave Gloucester the lead. Wasps had already produced a fine try of their own in the 17th minutes, Dominic Waldouck breaking and popping to Danny Cipriani, who, after a last-ditch tackle from Charlie Sharples, found winger Lachlan Mitchell to score.

Overall it was great to see Qera back and scoring and had Barkley slotted a few more it could have been an easy home win.

Gloucester: O Morgan; I Balshaw, A Allen, O Barkley, C Sharples; C Spencer, R Lawson; N Wood, O Azam, G Somerville, W James, A Brown, L Narraway, A Hazell, G Delve (capt). Reps: A Titterrell (Azam 62), J Forster, A Eustace, A Qera (Delve 52), R Lamb (Spencer 65), M Watkins (Allen 74), M Foster (Sharples 62).

Wasps: M Van Gisbergen; L Mitchell, D Waldouck, J Lewsey; D Cipriani, E Reddan; T Payne, R Webber, P Barnard, R Birkett, G Skivington, S Betsen (capt, sinbin 52/64), T Rees, J Hart. Reps: J Ward (Webber 66), M Holford (Beech 55), M Veale (Betsen 76), D Leo (Birkett 64), J Simpson (Reddan 77), D Walder (Lewsey 11), R Hoadley.

Referee: S Davey (RFU)

Attendance: 15,294