Gloucester 28 Newcastle 20: Stand-ins step up to mark to dig Gloucester out of trouble

Gloucester staged the jail-break of the season as they somehow clawed their way to victory against an enterprising and ultimately unlucky Newcastle team. Second-half tries by replacements James Bailey and Akapusi Qera ensured that Gloucester not only remained top of the Guinness Premiership but also denied Newcastle a losing bonus point.

Gloucester are feeling the pinch of international calls (seven) and injuries (five) but their youngsters showed tremendous spirit and, even when looking out of it at 20-11 down, they never folded. Winger James Simpson-Daniel produced a classy display and was instrumental in giving the inexperienced back line some direction and purpose in attack especially late in the second half when the pressure was really on.

For some 83 minutes, Newcastle full-back Tom May had been the Falcons' hero, completing a full-house of scores with a try, two conversions, a penalty and a drop goal, in a generally sound game. Sadly, with a minute left on the clock and a single point separating the teams, he attempted to regain the lead for Newcastle with a drop goal that was charged down and from it Gloucester scored a third try which left Newcastle too far behind, even for a bonus point.

Gloucester had produced an abject display in defence early on, conceding two soft tries and the lead in the last three minutes of the first half. They had created plenty of chances. Centre Jack Adams and Simpson-Daniel were prominent in attack, cutting and thrusting their way through the Newcastle lines but somehow Gloucester managed to mess each attack up, often losing possession in the process.

It was from their final attack of the first half that Newcastle finally got on to the scoresheet. Gloucester fly-half Ryan Lamb slipped a lovely one-handed reverse pass to Mark Foster, but the left wing was caught and coughed up the ball.

Ollie Phillips kicked upfield into space, obliging Lamb and Willie Walker, the full-back, to turn and give chase. Lamb got there first, fell on the ball, got to his feet as Walker arrived but somehow Phillips snatched the ball from the Gloucester men and raced the remaining 15 metres to the line.

Worse followed three minutes later. From a line-out, Newcastle tighthead Carl Hayman called for the ball from scrum-half Lee Dickson when the throw was taken then waited for Tom May to come steaming up on his inside shoulder, a line which took the full-back clear to the line. He then added his second conversion.

That lead was increased shortly after the interval when May, who had missed a first-half penalty, made no mistake with his second one from in front of the posts after a Gloucester defender stuck his hands in a ruck.

When May then added a simple drop goal to his haul it looked like curtains for Gloucester. But a searching kick by Lamb led to Gloucester winning turnover ball and the fly-half's long floated pass found Adams, who cut inside, drew the cover then sent in Simpson-Daniel for their first try, converted by Walker.

An intense build-up led to Bailey's 76th-minute try, Anthony Allen and Simpson-Daniel setting up the finish, while the third try came courtesy of May's drop-goal attempt which was charged down by Luke Narraway. He rumbled upfield and held on until Qera hove into view and the huge Fijian then charged over for Walker to add his second conversion to go with his three first-half penalties.

Gloucester: W Walker; J Simpson-Daniel, J Adams (J Bailey, 45-49), A Allen, M Foster; R Lamb (J Bailey, 73), G Cooper; N Wood, A Titterrell (O Azam, 55), J Forster, W James (A Qera, 62), A Brown, P Buxton (capt), A Hazell, L Narraway.

Newcastle: T May; O Phillips, T Dillon, A Tait (J Shaw, 77), J Rudd (T Visser, 77); S Jones, L Dickson (J Grindal, 65); J McDonnell (D Wilson, 65), M Thompson (A Long, 65), C Hayman, A Perry (B Wilson, 68), M Sorenson, G Parling, B Woods, P Dowson (capt).

Referee: M Fox (Leicestershire).